One Health, One Future: Why Fighting Malaria and Protecting Our Planet Go Hand in Hand

In the fight against malaria, human health often takes centre stage — but what about the health of our planet? In this piece, GFAN Speaker and malaria advocate Krystal Birungi shares how her work has pushed her to reflect on the deep connections between disease control, biodiversity, and climate change. From mosquito nets to invasive species, Krystal invites us to think beyond human borders and embrace a unified approach to health: one that protects people, animals, and ecosystems alike.

Whenever I talk to young epidemiologists about biodiversity one of the key reflections I keep coming back to is just how deeply interconnected our world is. Too often when we refer to public health, we focus only on what it means for humanity, how diseases affect people, how they impact the economy, and how we can treat and prevent them.

As someone who has been profoundly affected by malaria, that’s usually my perspective too. I think a lot about what malaria means for my community, for my country, for Africa, and for the world as a whole. However being surrounded by young people dedicated to protecting biodiversity and a sustainable future for our planet just setting out on their journeys really reinforced something I’ve been reflecting on – the potential of biotechnology to help conserve the environment, preserve biodiversity, and also enhance human health by contributing to Malaria elimination. It became clear how key it is to think about all these elements as a whole.

I often speak about the principle of One Health, and how, until we have a healthy population, and a healthy environment, we cannot have balance. Many of the populations affected by malaria today have three key control measures available to them:

They can spray insecticides using indoor residual spraying or commercially available insecticides, for those who can afford it.
They can use insecticide-impregnated mosquito nets, which are disposable and made from plastic.
They can implement environmental control where oil is poured onto pools of water surrounding home steads to reduce mosquito breeding grounds, and bushes are cut down for the same reason.

None of these methods are great for the environment but when the flip side is losing lives – especially those of young children the stakes become different. So, for those affected by malaria, the cost justifies the means. As much as they may love their environment, their children’s lives come first and hence care for the environment is put at odds with care for human life. But this is not sustainable, nor should it be. Without conserving nature, our descendants may not survive, animal life may not survive, and yet, without healthy children, many cannot prioritize care for the environment.

*Krystal explains how gene drive is a great example of One Health principles where a tool addressing human health also has the potential for biodiversity protection at the UN Biodiversity Conference.*

Conservation efforts for many endangered bird species is also being affected by avian malaria, ranging, from species on Galapagos islands to penguins in South Africa catching malaria that is spread by invasive mosquito species. Additionally, malaria’s impact is being exacerbated by climate change. The spread of Anopheles stephensi, an invasive mosquito species, is threatening urban areas in Africa that were previously less affected by malaria. This mosquito, which thrives in artificial water containers commonly found in cities, is complicating malaria control efforts and increasing the disease burden in new regions. These are examples of how malaria affects the environment, highlighting the importance of getting back on track toward malaria elimination. We need to stay ahead of invasive species, as well insecticide and behavioral resistance. Achieving malaria elimination earlier means mitigating the long-term effects of malaria on our environment. It is time for our biggest ever push.

It is also key that when we are considering additional methods to achieve malaria elimination, we take into consideration what effect this will have on our environment and the animals within it. A good example of research that does this is genetic modification using gene drives, a method that is both environmentally friendly and climate change resilient.

*Krystal and Judith Collins, Minister of Defense, New Zealand at the ⁦OECD in Paris after a panel on bio -tech and gene technology saving lives and the best form of regulation.*

Ultimately, my experiences have left me thinking that we are a unified world. Deforestation creates more breeding pools for mosquitoes, potentially leading to more malaria. Climate change leads to warmer temperatures, changing malaria mosquito ranges and increasing malaria where it may was previously rare. Floods lead to more breeding pools for mosquitoes, potentially driving up malaria case incidence. Even when our primary interests are elsewhere, the interconnections are real.

It is important that those fighting malaria consider what their efforts mean for the environment, just as those who are fighting climate change or environmental degradation must consider the impact on human and animal health. Only by working together can we have balance.

One health calls for a unified effort to achieve a healthy human population, a healthy environment and healthy animals. It is a call for us to come together – not just to preserve our environment but also to preserve our children’s lives but also safeguard animal health. Only by doing so can we preserve the future of our world.