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Obituary—Alan Magill
Newsdesk
For Action and Investment to Defeat Malaria 2016–2030 http:// www.rollbackmalaria.org/about/ about-rbm/aim-2016-2030
partnerships have provided those resources”. Providing additional emphasis of the importance of tackling malaria, he pointed out that the Roll Back Malaria Partnership’s report Action and Investment to Defeat Malaria 2016–2030 showed that “malaria represents an impediment to economic development”. This report outlines that if coverage were to revert to 2007 levels then US$1·2 trillion of economic output would be foregone from 2016 to 2030. But Nahlen offered reassurances about the commitment of the USA to malaria because of its cross-party support in Congress. Now that the MDGs have reached their conclusion, attention is shifting to the next set of goals: the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Controversially, malaria is now one of nine targets for one of 17 goals. When asked if the SDGs would undermine progress, Alonso
said that this would “come down to investment and political support”. However, there was a “risk that dilution will reduce impetus”. However, Nahlen was more optimistic; despite the minor mention of malaria among the SDGs, meeting these goals would inevitably mean addressing malaria. He also offered the reminder that, before the MDGs, African ministries of health were the source of the demand for action on malaria, and this would certainly continue to be the case. But his optimism came with a warning, if we “back off now, it will be a disaster”. Mark Young of UNICEF offered an example of how the broader targets of the SDGs will work to meet the needs of malaria control. “Provision of bednets has been a major factor in reducing under 5s mortality“, he said, “often delivered as an integrated child-survival package“. To see more
immediate results, we need to ensure the interventions—ie, antimalarials and bednets—are reaching those who need them. Young noted that “poor communities still don’t have access“ to these interventions, and it “is crucial we support health systems; Ebola is a key example. We can’t stop now“. Looking ahead, the WHO/UNICEF report says that “the rate or expansion of malaria programmes between 2016 and 2030 has been mapped out, and funding requirements to meet these milestones for 2020, 2025, and 2030 have been identified”. These requirements are $6·4 billion by 2020, $7·7 billion by 2025, and $8·7 billion by 2030. Although the figures will make many politicians wince, against the backdrop of the potential cost of insufficient action they might be easy to swallow.
Onisillos Sekkides
Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
Obituary—Alan Magill
Alan Magill Director of Malaria Control at the Gates Foundation. Born on Nov 26, 1953, in Craig, CO, USA, he died on Sept 19, 2015, in Woodway, WA, USA, aged 61 years. See Profile Lancet Infect Dis 2015; 15: 888
1266
It was only 4 months ago, in July, 2015, that The Lancet Infectious Diseases spoke with Alan Magill, the Director of Malaria Control at the Gates Foundation, who has died suddenly aged 61 years. He told me of his hopes for a malaria-free world within his lifetime. While that dream may not have been realised, Magill has left a legacy that all those involved in malaria control will long remember. Born in Colorado, Magill later moved to Texas as his father was an oil field worker. After studying medicine at the Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, TX, he decided to join the US Army because the girlfriend who later became his wife, Janine Babcock, had also enlisted as a paediatrician. They were based in Honolulu, where he dealt with a range of infectious diseases while enjoying their fledgling romance in the magical backdrop of Hawaii. They were also able to take postings in Germany together, before moving on to the Walter Reed Army Medical
Center in Washington, DC, where Magill would see patients through part of his working day, and then cross the road to work in the research centre. Having specialised in both leishmaniasis and malaria, a 4-year posting in Peru followed, doing clinical trials on malaria resistance in the Peruvian Amazon. After spells at the US National Institutes of Health as head of clinical research for the malaria vaccine development unit, a further spell as Science Director at Walter Reed, and a posting at the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency dealing with bioterrorism, Magill got the call asking him to become head of the Gates Foundation malaria programme. As he told The Lancet Infectious Diseases in his profile interview, “I know how serious Bill and Melinda Gates are about eradicating malaria.” He spoke with a fizzing enthusiasm of the need for locally tailored campaigns specific to countries, and his excitement of being involved in those plans.
In a joint statement, Bill and Melinda Gates said that Magill’s influence went far beyond any single disease. “He had a rare gift for bringing people together and helping them work toward a common goal”, said Mr and Mrs Gates. They added, “Alan never gave up on the idea that humanity can wipe out terrible diseases. His optimism was contagious, to us and everyone else who was lucky enough to know him. When we talk about the kinds of leaders we want at the foundation, we simply say: we want more people like Alan Magill. We will miss Alan’s passion, his intellect, and his guidance. His work will continue through the strategies he set in motion. In the future, people will look back on what he did over the past few years and see it as the basis for eradicating malaria. Alan’s legacy is simple but profound: he saved lives.” Magill is survived by his wife Janine and daughters Lara and Sarah.
Tony Kirby
www.thelancet.com/infection Vol 15 November 2015
For Action and Investment to Defeat Malaria 2016–2030 http:// www.rollbackmalaria.org/about/ about-rbm/aim-2016-2030
partnerships have provided those resources”. Providing additional emphasis of the importance of tackling malaria, he pointed out that the Roll Back Malaria Partnership’s report Action and Investment to Defeat Malaria 2016–2030 showed that “malaria represents an impediment to economic development”. This report outlines that if coverage were to revert to 2007 levels then US$1·2 trillion of economic output would be foregone from 2016 to 2030. But Nahlen offered reassurances about the commitment of the USA to malaria because of its cross-party support in Congress. Now that the MDGs have reached their conclusion, attention is shifting to the next set of goals: the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Controversially, malaria is now one of nine targets for one of 17 goals. When asked if the SDGs would undermine progress, Alonso
said that this would “come down to investment and political support”. However, there was a “risk that dilution will reduce impetus”. However, Nahlen was more optimistic; despite the minor mention of malaria among the SDGs, meeting these goals would inevitably mean addressing malaria. He also offered the reminder that, before the MDGs, African ministries of health were the source of the demand for action on malaria, and this would certainly continue to be the case. But his optimism came with a warning, if we “back off now, it will be a disaster”. Mark Young of UNICEF offered an example of how the broader targets of the SDGs will work to meet the needs of malaria control. “Provision of bednets has been a major factor in reducing under 5s mortality“, he said, “often delivered as an integrated child-survival package“. To see more
immediate results, we need to ensure the interventions—ie, antimalarials and bednets—are reaching those who need them. Young noted that “poor communities still don’t have access“ to these interventions, and it “is crucial we support health systems; Ebola is a key example. We can’t stop now“. Looking ahead, the WHO/UNICEF report says that “the rate or expansion of malaria programmes between 2016 and 2030 has been mapped out, and funding requirements to meet these milestones for 2020, 2025, and 2030 have been identified”. These requirements are $6·4 billion by 2020, $7·7 billion by 2025, and $8·7 billion by 2030. Although the figures will make many politicians wince, against the backdrop of the potential cost of insufficient action they might be easy to swallow.
Onisillos Sekkides
Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
Obituary—Alan Magill
Alan Magill Director of Malaria Control at the Gates Foundation. Born on Nov 26, 1953, in Craig, CO, USA, he died on Sept 19, 2015, in Woodway, WA, USA, aged 61 years. See Profile Lancet Infect Dis 2015; 15: 888
1266
It was only 4 months ago, in July, 2015, that The Lancet Infectious Diseases spoke with Alan Magill, the Director of Malaria Control at the Gates Foundation, who has died suddenly aged 61 years. He told me of his hopes for a malaria-free world within his lifetime. While that dream may not have been realised, Magill has left a legacy that all those involved in malaria control will long remember. Born in Colorado, Magill later moved to Texas as his father was an oil field worker. After studying medicine at the Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, TX, he decided to join the US Army because the girlfriend who later became his wife, Janine Babcock, had also enlisted as a paediatrician. They were based in Honolulu, where he dealt with a range of infectious diseases while enjoying their fledgling romance in the magical backdrop of Hawaii. They were also able to take postings in Germany together, before moving on to the Walter Reed Army Medical
Center in Washington, DC, where Magill would see patients through part of his working day, and then cross the road to work in the research centre. Having specialised in both leishmaniasis and malaria, a 4-year posting in Peru followed, doing clinical trials on malaria resistance in the Peruvian Amazon. After spells at the US National Institutes of Health as head of clinical research for the malaria vaccine development unit, a further spell as Science Director at Walter Reed, and a posting at the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency dealing with bioterrorism, Magill got the call asking him to become head of the Gates Foundation malaria programme. As he told The Lancet Infectious Diseases in his profile interview, “I know how serious Bill and Melinda Gates are about eradicating malaria.” He spoke with a fizzing enthusiasm of the need for locally tailored campaigns specific to countries, and his excitement of being involved in those plans.
In a joint statement, Bill and Melinda Gates said that Magill’s influence went far beyond any single disease. “He had a rare gift for bringing people together and helping them work toward a common goal”, said Mr and Mrs Gates. They added, “Alan never gave up on the idea that humanity can wipe out terrible diseases. His optimism was contagious, to us and everyone else who was lucky enough to know him. When we talk about the kinds of leaders we want at the foundation, we simply say: we want more people like Alan Magill. We will miss Alan’s passion, his intellect, and his guidance. His work will continue through the strategies he set in motion. In the future, people will look back on what he did over the past few years and see it as the basis for eradicating malaria. Alan’s legacy is simple but profound: he saved lives.” Magill is survived by his wife Janine and daughters Lara and Sarah.
Tony Kirby
www.thelancet.com/infection Vol 15 November 2015