As a natural extension of the group’s health policy, AREVA Foundation has chosen to support malaria research conducted by Institut Pasteur through CERMES, the medical and health research center in Niamey, Niger.
The research program consists of two interrelated parts:
- improved biological diagnosis of malaria by designing, producing and validating a fast, reliable and inexpensive local diagnostics test;
- monitoring of treatment effectiveness and in particular resistance to antimalarial drugs by instituting intervention protocols suited to the epidemics encountered in Niger.
Malaria, the world’s most prevalent parasitic infection
Some 40% of the world’s population is exposed to malaria, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa, where it is the leading cause of death. Malaria is currently responsible for 300 million acute cases of disease each year and at least 1 million deaths.
Malaria is thus a priority among the world's major pandemics, along with AIDS and tuberculosis. In fact, the fight against malaria is one of the United Nations’ Millennium Development Goals.