In a significant advancement toward eradicating malaria, the UAE and the World Health Organisation (WHO) have initiated a regional database designed to track and combat the disease across 18 countries. This project is spearheaded by the Global Institute for Disease Elimination (GLIDE) with support from Erth Zayed Philanthropies, focusing specifically on the Middle East and North Africa.

Credit: ARN News

The primary goal of this initiative is to develop a comprehensive digital platform that identifies malaria risk areas by utilizing a century’s worth of environmental and disease data. In collaboration with the WHO’s Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean, Oxford University, and the Kenya Medical Research Institute, the platform will feature maps, mosquito breeding sites, and climate data. This information will empower countries to better understand and prevent the resurgence of malaria.

Dr. Farida Al Hosani, Deputy CEO of GLIDE, emphasized that the system will facilitate smarter resource allocation, enhance risk assessments, and foster stronger regional collaboration to prevent the disease’s return. Although most of the countries involved are currently malaria-free, the possibility of resurgence remains due to factors such as human movement and the ongoing presence of malaria-carrying mosquitoes. The database is projected to be completed by July 2025, with plans to extend its coverage to other vector-borne diseases in the future.