The
WHO Global Malaria Programme (GMP) coordinates WHO’s global efforts to prevent, control, and eliminate malaria. It convenes experts to: set and promote the adoption of evidence-based norms, standards, policies, and guidelines; keep independent score of global progress; develop approaches for capacity-building, systems strengthening, and surveillance; and identify threats and opportunities to malaria control and elimination.
Working through WHO Regional and Country offices, GMP is uniquely positioned to work as an honest broker with countries in implementing and evaluating malaria control interventions and the public health impact of investments. GMP supports the provision of technical assistance to countries in five main areas:
1. Malaria prevention through mosquito vector control
2. Case management, especially diagnostic testing and treatment
3. Strategy and economics of malaria control and elimination
4. Antimalarial drug resistance and containment
5. Prioritization of the malaria research agenda to maximize the use of existing interventions and to develop new tools for malaria control, elimination, and ultimate eradication.
GMP conducts its work in ways that contribute to strengthening health systems, enriching human resource capacity, and achieving the health-related Millennium Development Goals.
Recent Success and Progress:
- World Malaria Report: This annual report summarizes information received from 106 malaria-endemic countries and other partners, providing a crucial benchmark of malaria control efforts, funding, and impacts. Its appraisal of successes and failures helps to identify gaps and motivate action if and when investment and/or associated progress are insufficient.
- Malaria-Free Countries: Successful malaria control efforts led to a malaria-free WHO certification in Morocco and Turkmenistan in 2010; as of October 2011, Armenia is in the certification process.
- Revised Guidelines: GMP issued revised guidelines for malaria treatment in 2010. The guidelines recommend that all suspected cases receive a diagnostic test prior to treatment. The scale up of diagnostic testing will improve patient care; make more efficient use of scarce resources; counter the spread of malaria resistance, and allow for dramatically improved malaria surveillance.
- New Initiatives:
- GPARC: In January 2011, WHO Director General Margaret Chan launched the Global Plan for Artemisinin Resistance Containment (GPARC), developed by GMP in consultation with over 100 stakeholders to preserve effective malaria treatment in the face of growing drug resistance.
- GPIRM: GMP will soon launch a Global Plan on Insecticide Resistance Management (GPIRM) in malaria vectors, developed in consultation with a wide range of stakeholders.
- MPAC: GMP is launching a new WHO policy-setting process for malaria; the Malaria Policy Advisory Committee (MPAC), to be made up of 15 malaria experts from around the world. Its first meeting will be in early 2012.
Useful Global Malaria Programme Information Here: