Precipitous decline in incidence of malaria in Eritrea doesn't make the western news

[pinto]

23. A vector based approach has always been a key component in malaria prevention. i.e. mosquito control.

As noted above the biggest barrier to the construction of the Panama Canal was mosquito borne malaria. Once that vector was adequately contained, construction was successfully completed.

Eritrea has implemented basic vector control well, it seems. And those are relatively affordable. Yet basic vector control is still one intervention in the big picture.

As far as the author's broad brush rant against "drug company cartels", he glibly overlooks his own statement about one part of the picture -

The second part of the Health Ministry’s malaria program has been the establishment of community based medical clinics where the population can go to get a free blood test to determine what variety of malaria they may have and to get the proper treatment for it...

Treatment *includes* pharmaceuticals made by those evil drug company cartels. An effective, concurrent intervention to decrease malaria related mortality.

Finally, vaccines clearly have a role to play. Not only in Eritrea but worldwide. Vaccine research, production and distribution does take money. To bash the Gates Foundation's support for this part of malaria prevention is shallow, short sighted and dismissive of the very populations the author purports to champion.