Photo by Rhoda Baer
Researchers in the lab
A new study has revealed inequalities in malaria research funding in sub-Saharan Africa.
The study showed that some countries with a high malaria burden—such as Sierra Leone, Congo, Central African Republic, and Guinea—received little to no funding for malaria research in recent years.
However, other countries—such as Tanzania, Uganda, and Kenya—received close to $100 million in funding for malaria research.
Michael Head, PhD, of the University of Southampton in the UK, and his colleagues reported these findings in The Lancet Global Health.
“We have been able to provide a comprehensive overview of the landscape of funding for malaria in sub-Saharan Africa, a massive area where around 90% of worldwide malaria cases occur,” Dr Head said.
“We’ve shown that there are countries that are being neglected, and the global health community should reconsider strategies around resource allocation to reduce inequities and improve equality.”
For this study, Dr Head and his colleagues analyzed funding data spanning the period from 1997 to 2013. The data were sourced from 13 major public and philanthropic global health funders, as well as from funding databases.
The researchers ranked 45 countries according to the level of malaria research funding they received.
All of the countries studied received funding for malaria control, which includes investment for bed nets, public health schemes, and antimalarial drugs.
However, 8 of the 45 countries did not receive any funding related to malaria research. This included Central African Republic, Sierra Leone, and Congo—countries with a “reasonably high” malaria burden/mortality rate, according to Dr Head and his colleagues.
In all, there were 333 research awards, totaling $814.4 million. The countries that received the most research funding were Tanzania ($107.8 million), Uganda ($97.9 million), and Kenya ($92.9 million).
The 8 countries that received no research funding were Cape Verde, Botswana, Djibouti, Central African Republic, Mauritania, Congo, Chad, and Sierra Leone.
Dr Head and his colleagues suggested that the reason for the disparity in funding allocation could be, in part, due to the presence of established high-quality research infrastructure in countries such as Tanzania and Kenya, and political instability and poor healthcare infrastructures in lower-ranked nations such as Central African Republic or Sierra Leone.
“[N]ew investment in malaria research and development in these areas can encourage the development of improved health systems,” Dr Head said. “Many countries in sub-Saharan Africa simply do not have an established research infrastructure, and it is difficult for research funders to make investments in these settings.”
“Ultimately, however, there are neglected populations in these countries who suffer greatly from malaria and other diseases. Investments in health improve the wealth of a nation, and we need to be smarter with allocating limited resources to best help to reduce clear health inequalities.”
