Nearly half of the world’s population is at risk of contracting malaria, primarily in sub-Saharan Africa. Bayer  is now stepping up the fight with a new Indoor Residual Spray, Fludora® Fusion, which is set to make great strides in the fight against the disease.

According to Tasniem Patel, Head of Communications for southern Africa at Bayer, the objective is to make the product as accessible as possible so that it can be used in the areas that need it most. “Of course, this includes getting the product to last mile which affects all sectors, including tourism.”

According to the World Health Organisation, there were 219 million cases of malaria in 2017, up from 217 million in 2016. In southern Africa alone, more than 16 000 cases resulting in 110 deaths were reported at the end of October in 2018, more than the average recorded between 2007 and 2016, which was estimated at 7 600 cases per year.

“We know that insecticide resistance remains one of the biggest threats to eradicating malaria, largely because of our reliance on a very limited number of insecticides that are effective in vector control interventions against malaria-carrying mosquitoes. In the context of this urgent need for new modes of action in malaria vector control, Fludora® Fusion represents a major step forward in eradicating malaria,” says Dr. Jacqueline M. Appelgate, Head of Global Vegetable Seeds &  Environmental Science at Bayer.

Added to the challenge of insecticide resistance, Appelgate says: “It is also of great concern that the prevalence of malaria areas has expanded with low or very low malaria transmission starting to appear in some districts previously regarded as malaria-free areas in South Africa and elsewhere.”

Bayer’s field trials, in an unprecedented 16 African countries, have proven Fludora® Fusion to not only be effective against more than a dozen resistant strains of mosquitoes, but results also show that it remains effective for up to 12 months after application.

Bayer has been a mainstay in global malaria prevention strategy for over 60 years by making continued investments in effective vector control solutions, recognising that improvement and innovations in these tools are crucial to saving lives and ensuring a healthier future. Appelgate concludes, “We’re excited by the potential that Fludora® Fusion represents to help prevent new malaria infections and is a major milestone in our pursuit of a malaria-free future.”