Malaria: Is Global Eradication Actually Possible?

Australia is one of the lucky countries to have eradicated one of the most dangerous diseases in the world from our shores, while other countries such as Africa and Papua New Guinea are still working to keep their people safe from the dangers of Malaria. 

The disease, which is transmitted to humans through mosquitos, is made up of plasmodium parasites which are estimated to be as old as the dinosaurs. 

If Malaria is as old as experts say, is it possible to completely eradicate such an ancient disease from the world? 

So far, a number of countries have managed to fully eradicate the disease including the US which was deemed officially Malaria free in 1951, Europe in 1975, Australia in 1981 and most recently China in 2021. 

While these countries prove that eradication is possible, other countries lack the financial resources to do the same. 

Dr Sophie Calabretto is joined by Cosmos journalist Jacinta Bowler to discuss the current defences we have against the disease and whether global eradication is a likely possibility. 

Tune into the full episode of The Science Briefing below…