World comes to Seattle to fight malaria

If the malaria community had an Oscar week, this would be it.

The luminaries who will begin meeting in Seattle today aren't likely to get red-carpet receptions, but they represent one of the most high-powered groups ever assembled to fight the killer disease.

The draw is an offer few health experts would refuse: an invitation from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the world's richest philanthropy and a major funder of malaria research and control programs.

"It has become our version of Woodstock," said Dr. Kent Campbell, of the Seattle-based nonprofit PATH. "This is probably as competitive a ticket as the Bruce Springsteen concert."

The director general of the World Health Organization will be there. So will the leader of President Bush's Malaria Initiative. The quasi-government organizations that provide money for bed nets, drugs and malaria-control tools will be represented at the highest levels, as will private groups backed by billionaires who aren't named Gates. Health ministers from at least four African nations will speak.

The subject is considerably more somber than a rock concert or Hollywood contest — and participants hope the results will be more far-reaching. Though it was wiped out in the developed world decades ago, malaria still kills more than a million people every year — most of them children — in Africa and the other poorest corners of the globe.

The Gates Foundation is a major player, devoting more than $1 billion to programs to develop malaria vaccines, new drugs and better insecticides. But until now, the organization has exerted its influence largely behind the scenes, urging governments to spend more and working to raise awareness of a disease that few Americans will ever experience.

The three-day, invitation-only malaria forum is the foundation's first major attempt to bring together top policymakers and technical experts, and push for greater coordination, more funding and a new commitment to malaria eradication, a goal the world community gave up on 40 years ago.

"This is not about just what the Gates Foundation is going to do, but what the larger community could be doing," said Campbell, director of a Gates-funded program to help the African nation of Zambia slash malaria deaths 75 percent.

Malaria is among the biggest global killers, which also include AIDS and tuberculosis. But malaria is seen as the lowest-hanging fruit: it can be prevented with insecticide-treated bed nets and indoor mosquito sprays; effective drugs can cure infection in a few days.

"We can do things and have an immediate impact," said Dr. Arata Kochi, head of malaria programs for the World Health Organization.

Driven partly by the Gates Foundation, global spending on malaria control has increased more than fortyfold during the past several years, and the investments are starting to show returns. Health ministers from Zambia, Mozambique, Tanzania and Ethiopia will present data on declines in malaria deaths and other milestones.

It's a perfect time to ask what is truly possible and how quickly it can be accomplished, said Martin Edlund, communications manager for Malaria No More.

It's also a good time to re-evaluate the Gates Foundation's malaria work and focus on how to ensure that new drugs, vaccines and other advances make it to the people who need them most, said consultant Melinda Moree, former director of the Gates-funded Malaria Vaccine Initiative.

"The intent is to take a step back and reflect on what's been done, what remains to be done, what's working and what's not working," she said.

Bill and Melinda Gates are scheduled to address the 250 conference participants on Wednesday. Malaria experts predict they will commit a significant new chunk of money to malaria programs, as well as challenging the community not to be satisfied with modest gains.

Sandi Doughton: 206-464-2491 or sdoughton@seattletimes.com

This story incorrectly said Rupert Murdoch's News Corp was co-founder of Malaria No More. Peter Chernin, President of News Corp is co-chairman of the organization, but neither News Corps nor Murdoch are affiliated with the anti-malaria organization.