Malaria has historically been one of the greatest threats to human health throughout large parts of the world. It has had a major effect in shaping human evolution and has been an impediment to socio-economic development in many countries. From the beginning of this century there was a major global push to tackle the disease with initial promising results, including major reductions in deaths especially across Africa. More recently progress has slowed and a number of new challenges have arisen including resistance to drugs, insecticides and even diagnostics. On the other hand, recent progress on new interventions, including the development of new vaccines, offers the possibility of regaining the momentum in efforts to control and eventually eliminate malaria.