Malaria and urbanization in sub-Saharan Africa

Martin J Donnelly¹ , PJ McCall¹ , Christian Lengeler² , Imelda Bates¹ , Umberto D'Alessandro³ , Guy Barnish¹ , Flemming Konradsen⁴^,5 , Eveline Klinkenberg¹^,6 , Harold Townson¹ , Jean-Francois Trape⁷ , Ian M Hastings¹ and Clifford Mutero⁸

¹Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, Pembroke Place, Liverpool, L3 5QA. UK

²Swiss Tropical Institute, P.O. Box, 4002 Basel, Switzerland

³Prince Leopold Institute of Tropical Medicine, Nationalestraat 155, B-2000 Antwerp, Belgium

⁴International Water Management Institute Sri Lanka127, Sunil Mawatha, Pelawatte, Battaramulla, Sri Lanka

⁵Institute of Public Health, Department of International Health, University of Copenhagen, Blegdamsvej 32200 København, Denmark

⁶International Water Management Institute (West Africa), PMB CT 112, Cantonments, Accra, Ghana

⁷Institut de Recherche pour le Développement, BP 1386, CP 18524, Dakar, Sénégal

⁸Systemwide Initiative on Malaria and Agriculture, International Water Management Institute, Private Bag X813, Silverton 0127, South Africa

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Malaria Journal 2005, 4:12doi:10.1186/1475-2875-4-12


Published:	18 February 2005

Abstract

There are already 40 cities in Africa with over 1 million inhabitants and the United Nations Environmental Programme estimates that by 2025 over 800 million people will live in urban areas. Recognizing that malaria control can improve the health of the vulnerable and remove a major obstacle to their economic development, the Malaria Knowledge Programme of the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine and the Systemwide Initiative on Malaria and Agriculture convened a multi-sectoral technical consultation on urban malaria in Pretoria, South Africa from 2nd to 4th December, 2004. The aim of the meeting was to identify strategies for the assessment and control of urban malaria. This commentary reflects the discussions held during the meeting and aims to inform researchers and policy makers of the potential for containing and reversing the emerging problem of urban malaria.