Malaria causes the death of a child under the age of five every two minutes in Africa today.

Among the countries where malaria has recently resurged is Ethiopia, with the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reporting that in the Oromia region alone 53,000 people are being infected with malaria on a weekly basis.

When the UN raises the alarm about malaria, Mahmoud Hashem, the recipient of the prestigious Nile Prize for Science, returns to the spotlight. He is recognised as a pioneering scientist who has developed a patented innovation proven to eradicate the insects responsible for transmitting malaria.

Hashem is a professor of laser chemistry at the National Institute of Laser Sciences at Cairo University, founder of the European Universities in Egypt (EUE) in the New Administrative Capital, and former president and current Chair of the board of the German University in Cairo (GUC).

He told Al-Ahram Weekly that climate change is exacerbating the global spread of malaria and that rising temperatures are likely to increase the proliferation of disease vectors such as mosquitoes that transmit the disease.

He added that according to global studies climate change is expected to alter the geographical spread of malaria. By 2050, the disease could reach regions previously unaffected by it, such as North America, Europe, North Africa, and North Asia.

According to the WHO, in 2017 nearly half of the world’s population was at risk of malaria, with a child dying from the disease in Africa every two minutes. A million people die from malaria annually, and Africa spends $3.335 billion yearly on malaria, including through international aid, local budgets, and personal expenditure.

Hashem’s innovation is registered with the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO) in 170 countries. The WHO and the African Development Bank have acknowledged the effectiveness of his product through successful field applications, with the bank expressing its readiness to finance any African Ministry of Health that adopts it.

The innovation targets the eradication of the malaria mosquito at its source by disrupting its life cycle through direct sunlight and chlorophyll extracted from plants. Field results have showed that mosquito larvae can be completely eradicated within two hours using this method, achieving a success rate of 95 to 100 per cent in the swamps of malaria-endemic regions.

By interrupting the mosquito’s life cycle, the transmission of malaria is halted. Importantly, field applications have also confirmed that Hashem’s product does not disrupt the ecosystem, as it targets mosquito larvae without harming other living organisms.

The method is being implemented in eight Nile Basin countries in collaboration with Egypt’s Foreign Ministry. The product is manufactured by the Nasr Company for Intermediate Chemicals in Abu Rawash. The innovation aligns with multiple goals outlined in the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, as well as Egypt’s Vision 2030, which highlights the role of scientific research as a catalyst for growth.

Hashem said that rising temperatures and shifts in humidity levels are contributing to an increase in harmful agricultural insects and pests, such as the fruit fly, white fly, and cotton leafworm, posing threats to crops.

These pests can transmit viruses between plants, leading to leaf fall, reduced growth rates and production, and the abnormal ripening of fruit. In recent years, agricultural expansion in Egypt has led to an increase in the number of such pests. The widespread use of various pesticides has made control over their spread increasingly difficult, Hashem said.

He said that in collaboration with his research team he has developed products that eliminate pests using natural and environmentally friendly methods. The materials used are derived from plants, which means they are safe for human health and the environment, with no harmful residues.

He added that the malaria innovation is the culmination of research conducted in 10 doctoral and Masters theses in the field and that field applications have been conducted at the experimental stations of the Faculty of Agriculture at Cairo University.

Mahmoud Hashem obtained his PhD from the University of Stuttgart in Germany in 1979. He has supervised over 90 Masters and doctoral theses and published more than 100 research papers in international journals.

His achievements have been recognised with numerous awards, including the Presidential Medal in Science and Arts First Class in 2017, the State Appreciation Award in Advanced Technological Sciences in 2014, and the Excellence Award in Science from Cairo University in 2012. He was also honoured with the State Encouragement Award in 1989 and holds lifelong membership of the Egyptian Scientific Academy.

Hashem has also been a visiting professor at the Federal Institute of Technology in Switzerland, the Nuclear Research Centre at the University of Karlsruhe in Germany, the Georgia Institute of Technology in the US, and the Institute of Laser Technology in Medicine at the University of Ulm in Germany.

He holds 11 patents in collaboration with his research team, which are registered both internationally and at the Egyptian Academy of Scientific Research. His work focuses on solar energy applications and photovoltaic technology.

* A version of this article appears in print in the 5 September, 2024 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly