According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, malaria is one of the most severe public health problems worldwide and a leading cause of death and disease for millions of people in developing countries. Issues surrounding sustainable malaria interventions in Africa were on the agenda May 20 as Bentley hosted the African Malaria Dialogues group for a workshop of scholars from Bentley, MIT, Boston University, Harvard, Yale, Columbia and industry and NGO representatives.

“This issue is important because bednets aren’t lasting as long as they were intended, not enough people are using them, and even worse, insecticide resistance is beginning to cause control failures in parts of Africa,” says Tony Kiszewski, associate professor of natural and applied sciences.

Speakers included Jim McCann, professor of history and associate director for development, African Studies Center, Boston University; Mike Reddy, PhD, Yale; El Fatih El Tahir, professor of civil & environmental engineering, MIT; and Bill Jobin, director, Blue Nile Associates and president, Boston Harbor Publishers.

The Africa Malaria Dialogues group, founded by Dr. William Jobin, meets quarterly to discuss sustainable interventions such as housing modification, habitat reduction, repellents and other methods that don’t provoke resistance.

For more, read Tony Kizewkski’s IMPACT piece, Malaria Prevention: A Train Wreck.