The United States President’s Malaria Initiative (PMI) is an interagency initiative led by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and implemented jointly with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). PMI assists National Malaria Control Programs in 15 focus countries to reduce malaria-related deaths.

Fighting Malaria

Malaria is an infectious disease that, despite being treatable and preventable, still causes nearly 1 million deaths per year. An estimated 350 to 500 million cases occur per year across approximately 100 malarious countries, 45 of which are in sub-Saharan Africa. PMI was established in 2005 to reduce the number of malaria-related deaths by 50 percent in 15 focus countries by 2010.

PMI expands coverage of highly effective malaria prevention and treatment measures to the most vulnerable populations in affected regions – children under 5 and pregnant women. This package of high-impact interventions includes insecticide-treated mosquito nets (ITNs), indoor residual spraying (IRS) with insecticides, intermittent preventive treatment for pregnant women (IPTp), and artemisinin-based combination therapy (ACT).

By 2008 PMI contributed to the following results:

• 66 million people have received lifesaving prevention or treatment services in the Initiative’s first three years.
• More than 35,000 health workers have been trained. PMI strengthened health systems and capacity by improving pharmaceutical management, quality assurance of drugs, and health management information systems in focus countries.
• Deaths among children in Zambia and Rwanda dropped by one-third, which was associated with scaled up prevention and treatment interventions and a decline in malaria prevalence.
• The supply of ACTs provided through government hospitals and clinics has increased significantly due to the negotiation of drug prices and large grants provided by PMI and others.

From 2004 through 2008, PMI provided nearly $500 million (U.S.) to increase malaria control programs across Africa. In 2008, the U.S. congress authorized an additional $5 billion (U.S.) for malaria control efforts from 2009 to 2013.

Country selection:

PMI works with partners in Angola, Benin, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Liberia, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mozambique, Rwanda, Senegal, Tanzania, Uganda, and Zambia. The 15 focus countries were selected using the following criteria:

• high malaria disease burden
• national malaria control policies consistent with the internationally accepted standards of the World Health Organization
• capacity to implement such policies
• willingness to partner with the United States to fight malaria
• involvement of other international donors and partners in national malaria control efforts

Approach:

PMI is organized around four operational principles based on lessons learned from more than 50 years of U.S. Government efforts in fighting malaria, together with experience gained from implementation of the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), which began in 2003. The PMI approach involves:

• Use of a comprehensive, integrated package of proven prevention and treatment interventions
• Strengthening of health systems and integrated maternal and child health services
• Commitment to strengthen national malaria control programs and to build capacity for country ownership of malaria control efforts
• Close coordination with international and in-country partners

PMI works within the overall strategy and plan of the host country’s national malaria control programs and planning and implementation of PMI activities are coordinated closely with each Ministry of Health.

Partnerships are at the heart of PMI's strategy and operational plans.

PMI works closely with host country governments; other U.S. Government agencies; international organizations; other bilateral, multilateral, and private donors; nongovernmental and faith-based organizations (NGOs and FBOs); and the private sector. Achieving the ambitious PMI coverage targets and reducing malaria deaths by half across 15 focus countries can only be achieved through a coordinated approach with a broad partner base, at both the country and international levels. PMI has forged strong partnerships in all PMI focus countries.

To learn more about how the President’s Malaria Initiative is fighting malaria around the world, visit the PMI website.