For too long the developed world has been turning a blind eye to diseases that mostly affect the poor. Recent progress on malaria, however, may prove that change is on the horizon.

The fifth Pan-African Malaria Conference in Nairobi, Kenya, has been the forum where the majority of the new promising developments have been discussed. While the news may not be emblazoned on the front of major newspapers, the message of recent development seems clear: the world is paying attention to the disease. As the Kenyan newspaper Daily Nation reported on Tuesday, the conference is “a clear indication of the prevailing global goodwill to deal with a disease that has remained one of the biggest health drawbacks [in Africa].”

What stands out as the greatest development has been the announcement of the trial of a malaria vaccine on over 5,000 African children, the largest African malaria clinical trial ever. The vaccine, which could be available starting in 2012, would be the first commercial malaria vaccine available worldwide. The vaccine, named “RTS,S/AS2A” or Mosquirix, is being hailed by its co-inventor Joe Cohen as “a tremendous moment in the fight against malaria and the culmination of more than two decades of research.”

Local treatments for the disease have also taken center stage at the conference. In particular, a drug derived from the moringa tree and inspired by local medicinal practices was recently described by the Daily Nation as “competing alongside malaria medicines developed by some of the world’s best scientists.” The drug, “zogali,” has gained approval from the Nigerian national drug registration agency and has been endorsed by the World Health Organization (WHO). Furthermore, results parallel the recent innovations, as “increased global attention on the disease has resulted in a dramatic reduction of malaria in most parts of the world,” according to the Daily Nation.

These recent successes, however, must be taken in consideration of general global performance on tropical diseases, which has been historically underwhelming in comparison to recent strides on malaria. In no sector is this clearer than in the pharmaceutical industry. According to data from the FDA, of the 1,393 FDA-approved drugs between 1975 and 1999 in the U.S. only 13 have been targeted toward tropical diseases, including malaria. The result, according to the Drugs for Neglected Diseases Initiative, is that “essential medicines to treat many diseases that affect the world’s poor are either too expensive, no longer produced, highly toxic or ineffective.” Examples of other diseases that have remained out of sight of developed world pharmaceutical corporations are sleeping sickness in Africa and Chagas disease in Latin America, which have a profound effect on local populations.

But even recent success on the malaria front shouldn’t be taken for granted. With around 247 million cases of malaria in 2006 and nearly one million deaths as a result, malaria is still an issue of staggering proportions.

According to the WHO, half of the world’s population is at risk of malaria. Furthermore, 80 percent of those who die of malaria are under the age of five, showing an even greater need to deal with related issues such as maternal and natal care.

The recent increase in the number of drug-resistant malaria strains means that new drugs need to be developed all the time. As Drew Lewis of Pfizer noted at the conference, “We must plan for new drugs before the current ones are rendered ineffective through resistance.” The Daily Nation similarly pointed out that “the malaria vector and the parasite have for years proven very versatile, managing to outwit new inventions at almost every turn.”

In particular, global funding of ongoing projects is necessary. GlaxoSmithKline, the company behind the new vaccine, has invested $300 million in the project and is looking to invest an additional $100 million, which will be supplemented by $100 million from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. However, researchers predict that the yearly cost of regulating the disease is approximately $4.2 billion annually. Continued support in spite of the economic downturn is also crucial. As the Taskforce on Innovative International Financing for Health Systems, chaired by U.K. Prime Minister Gordon Brown and World Bank President Robert Zoellick, noted in March: “Any reduction in investment in health care will have devastating consequences for the sick and untreated, and has the potential to plunge new groups and nations into poverty.”

The world should see the triumphs in light of greater commitments to malaria as a call to action rather than a reason to be content and complacent in recent success. The nature of the disease and its persistence clearly demonstrate that there is no cure-all approach to malaria and perpetual attention to the issue is necessary. Hopefully, recent progress is merely a signal of things to come.

Aaron Collett is a College junior from Jakarta, Indonesia. He is president of Emory’s Model United Nations.