International Health Officials Optimistic Ahead of Africa Malaria Day, Cite Progress Made Against Disease
International health officials on Monday ahead of Africa Malaria Day, which is scheduled for Wednesday, said they are hopeful about making progress in the fight against the disease, AFP/The International News reports. Roll Back Malaria Partnership Executive Director Awa Marie Coll-Seck at a news conference said, "We have the tools that we need, we know what needs to be done and we have a lot more means than before ... the situation gives us enormous hope" (AFP/The International News, 4/23). Coll-Seck said that although the early years of the program were not highly successful, RBM has learned from its mistakes. "All partners are proposing the same strategies and are supporting countries in the same way," Coll-Seck said, adding, "It is why we are now more successful also at country level." In addition, medical and technological innovations, as well as additional sources of funding, have impacted the fight against malaria. Artemisinin-based combination therapies, which have revolutionized malaria treatment, have replaced older, less effective drugs, according to the World Health Organization. Effective prevention strategies also are helping to control the spread of the disease, according to WHO Assistant Director-General Hiroki Nakatani. "We have bed nets so that mosquitoes cannot bite the most vulnerable populations, such as young children and pregnant women," he said. Nakatani also said insecticide-treated nets that remain effective for three to five years have been instrumental in preventing malaria, adding that people should have "universal access to such nets" (Schlein, VOA News, 4/23). Michel Kazatchkine, executive director of the Global Fund To Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, said more funding, including from the President's Malaria Initiative, has given rise to optimism in fighting the disease (Engeler, Associated Press, 4/23).
RBM Announces New Funding Targets
RBM ahead of Africa Malaria Day announced that it has established new funding targets to fight the disease on the continent, the UN News Service reports. According to RBM, its goal is to see more countries receive malaria funding (UN News Service, 4/23). Last year, 70% of government applications to the Global Fund were rejected because the proposals failed to meet WHO guidelines, the organization said on Monday (Associated Press, 4/23). RBM aims to guarantee that half of the total worldwide applications -- and 80% of those in Africa -- receive the funding needed to control the disease. "This is the first phase of a massive initiative both to ensure sustained funding and improve countries' ability to achieve impact," Coll-Seck said, adding, "Success breeds success. We all need to make the money work better and achieve results if we are to secure predictable funding and meet ambitious malaria control targets over the next three years" (UN News Service, 4/23). According to Kazatchkine, some proposals were rejected because they planned to use older malaria drugs, such as chloroquine, while WHO recommends ACTs. He added that other proposals set unrealistic goals or included nets that do not meet Global Fund standards. "We have to follow the best practices and the best standards," Kazatchkine said. The Global Fund said it aims to achieve a 50% approval rate for grant proposals this year in an effort to help countries improve the quality of their applications (Associated Press, 4/23).
PMI Coordinator Tim Ziemer on Wednesday at 2 p.m. ET will discuss Africa Malaria Day in an "Ask the White House" online chat. Questions for the chat can be submitted online. A transcript will be available online after the chat.