New public-private partnership will tackle rising threat from drug-resistant strains.

The Asia Pacific Leaders Malaria Alliance (APLMA) and DT Families Foundation signed an agreement that will make a tangible difference to eliminating malaria for good in Thailand.

Malaria was once the biggest killer of mankind and remains an entrenched global health challenge. The threat from the disease has also risen dramatically with the recent emergence of drug-resistant strains in the Greater Mekong Subregion.

Between 2000 and 2015, the world made remarkable progress in reducing malaria, with incidence down by 37% and deaths by 62%. In Thailand, the incidence of malaria fell by about 65% between 2010 and 2016. Thirty-five Thai provinces were recently declared malaria-free, moving the country nearer to its national malaria elimination target of 2025.