Malaria has plagued humankind for millennia, but cutting-edge innovation is bringing us closer than ever to ending this disease for good. 

Global efforts — backed by U.S. leadership — have prevented more than two billion cases and saved more than 14 million lives since 2000. This extraordinary progress was made possible by sustained investment in proven tools that work — from bed nets to indoor residual spraying to seasonal malaria chemoprevention. 

But the mosquitoes that carry malaria — and even the malaria parasite itself — are evolving at an alarming rate. As they learn to evade detection by rapid tests, build resistance to antimalarials, and withstand widely used insecticides, these lifesaving tools are in jeopardy of becoming less effective than they once were. Not only are decades of hard-won progress at risk, so too are millions of lives — most of them children under five. 

The latest data confirms that gains are already eroding: 2024 saw about nine million more malaria cases than the previous year. Now is the time to double down and invest in existing tools to hold the line and prevent a deadly resurgence. But it will take more than business as usual to finish the job and finally wipe malaria off the map. The good news: scientific and technological advances are unlocking a new pipeline of tools that can change the trajectory of the malaria fight. Recent years have seen everything from the first-ever vaccine for malaria to next-generation nets, new antimalarials, and promising new vector control tools. 

Cutting edge innovations being developed around the world and right here in the United States have the potential to help us stay ahead of mosquitos and the parasites they carry. One tool in particular is generating a lot of buzz: SC Johnson’s Guardian™ spatial repellent. Given its relative ease of use, Guardian™ stands to deliver impact at scale — potentially protecting even more people from mosquitos before they bite.  

It’s possible for these new tools to be deployed at speed, take the malaria vaccine for example. Just a few years after it was first approved for use, 25 African countries have introduced the malaria vaccine into their routine immunization schedules — one of fastest vaccine rollouts in history. Cameroon was the first country to rollout the vaccine, building on a proud legacy of malaria research and innovation that continues today.  

We recently spoke to health officials, researchers and advocates in Cameroon about breakthrough tools and what they would tell U.S. policymakers if given the chance: