08/20/2025
GatesNotes
Malaria:
what’s worked and what’s next
A close up view of a mosquito.
By Bill Gates |
August 19, 2025
Malaria is one of the world’s oldest and deadliest enemies. Each year, the disease kills hundreds of thousands of people—most of them kids—and infects hundreds of millions more. But it’s also an area where the world has made immense progress, and we’re now on the cusp of some major lifesaving breakthroughs.
On Gates Notes, I’ve just published two new pieces about malaria that show what we’ve been able to accomplish and where we could go next.
In the first, I share the incredible story of how the U.S. eliminated malaria within a generation and what that history can teach us today. It’s a reminder that even the biggest public health challenges can be solved with coordination, determination, and the right resources to get the job done.
In the second piece, I write about one of the most exciting new ideas in the fight against malaria: an African-led project called Transmission Zero, which uses gene drive technology to make mosquitoes resistant to the malaria parasite. If it works, this approach could stop transmission altogether.
Despite the obstacles, I really believe that malaria can be eradicated within my lifetime. After reading these two pieces, I hope you’ll agree.