From survivor to global malaria champion
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The EmissaryAdmin
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- 8 minute read
| Malaria is a preventable disease that continues to claim the lives of more than half a million Africans each year , primarily children under the age of five. Ugandan researcher Krystal Birungi, a malaria survivor herself, has dedicated her life and profession to changing this reality. Krystal Mwesiga Birungi , a Ugandan scientist, malaria activist, and Research and Outreach Officer at Target Malaria Uganda at the Uganda Virus Research Institute (UVRI), has achieved a series of remarkable accomplishments that reflect her unwavering commitment to eliminating malaria and protecting the lives of children across Africa and beyond. Her journey is deeply personal. Her childhood was marked by repeated bouts of malaria and the fear that her younger brother would not survive. “Those early years instilled in me the belief that malaria is not just a scientific challenge, but a moral and social injustice,” Birungi says. Today, Krystal combines lived experience and scientific rigor to shape the future of public health, equality, and child survival. |
| A Voice on the World Stage In 2025, Krystal contributed a powerful essay to “ Hope for Life on Our Planet: Inspiring Seven Generations ,” an international collection of reflections edited by Osvald Bjelland. Her essay, “Breaking the Chains: Combating Public Health Inequality in the Fight Against Malaria,” was launched in London alongside those of figures such as Dame Jane Goodall and Pope Francis. In it, she highlights the disproportionate burden of malaria on African women and children, and advocates for greater equity, investment in cutting-edge innovations, and policy reform. Leadership that shines locally and internationally In September 2025, Krystal Birungi was selected to be part of the Obama Foundation’s 2025-2026 class of Africa Leaders . Among more than 200 changemakers worldwide, she was one of 35 Africans chosen to receive training in leadership, civic engagement, and cross-sector collaboration. Krystal regularly participates in global advocacy missions (including with the Global Fund Advocates Network – GFAN), to raise awareness among policymakers, donors, and the public about malaria research, prevention, and equity. The Global Fund , a key partner in the fight against malaria, reported in 2025 that its global work (against HIV, tuberculosis, and malaria) has helped save 70 million lives since its inception, with a 63% decline in combined mortality rates. Krystal’s fight for Africa’s survival Krystal’s own survival gives urgency to her work for Africans. “In 2023, 94% of global malaria cases and 95% of malaria deaths occurred in Africa. "I am motivated every day by these numbers, but especially by the faces they represent: each statistic is a child, a friend, or a loved one," says Birungi. On many world stages, Krystal recounts her childhood marked by illness. Her brother convulsed by malaria, her family repeatedly ill and unable to afford the necessary medicine. This personal story fuels both her empathy and her determination. She helps popularize complex tools like dual-insecticide bed nets, spatial repellents, new drug formulations, vaccines, and genetically modified mosquitoes—emphasizing that no single tool is enough and that community involvement, national leadership, and equity concerns matter at every step. As an entomologist, Krystal reiterates the important role of ongoing research, from understanding mosquito behavior to developing next-generation tools to support and strengthen public health equity. She believes that by 2035, the world can transform malaria from a common threat to a manageable and largely preventable disease, using vaccines, better tools, strong health systems, and equity-focused research. And by 2040, she dreams of total elimination in high-prevalence areas, with technologies like gene drive that can interrupt the transmission.Krystal argues that her vision is not just scientific optimism, but a call for collective responsibility: global donors, African governments, research institutions, and communities must invest, innovate, and lead together. |
The Emissary
Distributed by African Media Agency (AMA)
