Curious what several donors and organizations are doing to eradicate malaria?
For one, the Partnership for Transforming Health Systems 2 is working with the Clinton Health Access Initiative to distribute artemisinin-based combination therapies in five Nigerian states through the Affordable Medicines Facility for malaria initiative, an innovative financing mechanism designed to expand countries’ access to ACTs, AlertNet reports.
The African Development Bank, meanwhile, is supporting the control of communicable diseases, including malaria, in the Southern African Development Community region with a $30 million grant.
The World Health Organization, for its part, is launching a new initiative on April 25. Test, Treat, Track urges the global health community to scale up diagnostic testing, treatment and surveillance for malaria, especially in endemic countries.
These new initiatives are a welcome addition to the many programs working to bring malaria deaths to near-zero. Despite reported gains, malaria remains a threat to public health. In 2010, it claimed the lives of an estimated 655,000 people. Half of the world’s population is still at risk of contracting the disease.
Read more:
Tony Blair to donors: Stop ‘foot dragging’ not funding for malaria
On World Malaria Day 2012: How to protect progress, save lives
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