How expensive it is to be poor Prof. Abdoulaye Diabaté inspires global action against malaria at TED2024

How expensive it is to be poor Prof. Abdoulaye Diabaté inspires global action against malaria at TED2024

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Realnews Magazine,  2024.

In a stirring address at TED2024, Prof. Abdoulaye Diabaté, Head of Medical Entomology and Parasitology at the Research Institute in Health Sciences in Bobo-Dioulasso, Burkina Faso, and Principal Investigator of Target Malaria Burkina Faso, shared his journey with malaria and his resolute commitment to eradicating it.

Prof. Diabaté’s talk shed light on the devastating toll of malaria, particularly in Africa, and stressed the urgent need for transformative solutions.

“Malaria is tightly linked to poverty and it is incredibly expensive to be poor,” Prof. Diabaté said as he reflected on his childhood battle with the disease. “Two hundred million cases worldwide end up sadly every year with approximately 600 000 deaths. While this is a statistic to many, to me there is a personal, tragic story. Most of these deaths happen in Africa where children and pregnant women pay the highest price.”

Prof. Diabaté’s firsthand experience highlights the profound impact of malaria on individuals and families, motivating his tireless efforts to end malaria in his lifetime. Target Malaria is an international research consortium of scientists, stakeholder engagement teams, risk assessment specialists, and communication and regulatory experts from Africa, North America and Europe, dedicated to eradicating malaria.