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Manzoni G, Try R, Guintran JO, Christiansen-Jucht C, Jacoby E, Sovannaroth S, Zhang Z, Banouvong V, Shortus MS, Reyburn R, Chanthavisouk C, Linn NYY, Thapa B, Khine SK, Sudathip P, Gopinath D, Thieu NQ, Ngon MS, Cong DT, Hui L, Kelley J, Valecha NNK, Bustos MD, Rasmussen C, Tuseo L. Progress towards malaria elimination in the Greater Mekong Subregion: perspectives from the World Health Organization. Malar J 2024; 23:64. [PMID: 38429807 PMCID: PMC10908136 DOI: 10.1186/s12936-024-04851-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/09/2023] [Accepted: 01/11/2024] [Indexed: 03/03/2024] Open
Abstract
Malaria remains a global health challenge, disproportionately affecting vulnerable communities. Despite substantial progress, the emergence of anti-malarial drug resistance poses a constant threat. The Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS), which includes Cambodia, China's Yunnan province, Lao People's Democratic Republic, Myanmar, Thailand, and Viet Nam has been the epicentre for the emergence of resistance to successive generations of anti-malarial therapies. From the perspective of the World Health Organization (WHO), this article considers the collaborative efforts in the GMS, to contain Plasmodium falciparum artemisinin partial resistance and multi-drug resistance and to advance malaria elimination. The emergence of artemisinin partial resistance in the GMS necessitated urgent action and regional collaboration resulting in the Strategy for Malaria Elimination in the Greater Mekong Subregion (2015-2030), advocating for accelerated malaria elimination interventions tailored to country needs, co-ordinated and supported by the WHO Mekong malaria elimination programme. The strategy has delivered substantial reductions in malaria across all GMS countries, with a 77% reduction in malaria cases and a 97% reduction in malaria deaths across the GMS between 2012 and 2022. Notably, China was certified malaria-free by WHO in 2021. Countries' ownership and accountability have been pivotal, with each GMS country outlining its priorities in strategic and annual work plans. The development of strong networks for anti-malarial drug resistance surveillance and epidemiological surveillance was essential. Harmonization of policies and guidelines enhanced collaboration, ensuring that activities were driven by evidence. Challenges persist, particularly in Myanmar, where security concerns have limited recent progress, though an intensification and acceleration plan aims to regain momentum. Barriers to implementation can slow progress and continuing innovation is needed. Accessing mobile and migrant populations is key to addressing remaining transmission foci, requiring effective cross-border collaboration. In conclusion, the GMS has made significant progress towards malaria elimination, particularly in the east where several countries are close to P. falciparum elimination. New and persisting challenges require sustained efforts and continued close collaboration. The GMS countries have repeatedly risen to every obstacle presented, and now is the time to re-double efforts and achieve the 2030 goal of malaria elimination for the region.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giulia Manzoni
- WHO Mekong Malaria Elimination Programme, Phnom Penh, Cambodia.
- Independent Consultant, Antananarivo, Madagascar.
| | - Rady Try
- WHO Mekong Malaria Elimination Programme, Phnom Penh, Cambodia
| | - Jean Olivier Guintran
- World Health Organization Country Office, Phnom Penh, Cambodia
- Independent Consultant, Le Bar sur Loup, France
| | | | - Elodie Jacoby
- WHO Mekong Malaria Elimination Programme, Phnom Penh, Cambodia
- Independent Consultant, Ho Chi Minh, Viet Nam
| | - Siv Sovannaroth
- National Center for Parasitology, Entomology and Malaria Control, Phnom Penh, Cambodia
| | - Zaixing Zhang
- World Health Organization Country Office, Phnom Penh, Cambodia
| | | | | | - Rita Reyburn
- World Health Organization Country Office, Vientiane, Lao PDR
| | | | - Nay Yi Yi Linn
- National Malaria Control Programme, Nay Pyi Taw, Myanmar
| | - Badri Thapa
- World Health Organization Country Office, Yangon, Myanmar
| | | | - Prayuth Sudathip
- Division of Vector Borne Diseases, Department of Disease Control, Bangkok, Thailand
| | - Deyer Gopinath
- World Health Organization Country Office, Bangkok, Thailand
| | - Nguyen Quang Thieu
- National Institute of Malariology, Parasitology and Entomology, Hanoi, Viet Nam
| | | | | | - Liu Hui
- Yunnan Institute of Parasitic Diseases, Yunnan, China
| | - James Kelley
- World Health Organization, Regional Office for the Western Pacific, Manila, Philippines
| | | | - Maria Dorina Bustos
- World Health Organization, Regional Office for South-East Asia, New Delhi, India
| | | | - Luciano Tuseo
- WHO Mekong Malaria Elimination Programme, Phnom Penh, Cambodia
- World Health Organization, Regional Office for the Western Pacific, Manila, Philippines
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Awasthi KR, Jancey J, Clements ACA, Rai R, Leavy JE. Community engagement approaches for malaria prevention, control and elimination: a scoping review. BMJ Open 2024; 14:e081982. [PMID: 38365295 PMCID: PMC10875526 DOI: 10.1136/bmjopen-2023-081982] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/11/2023] [Accepted: 01/25/2024] [Indexed: 02/18/2024] Open
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Globally malaria programmes have adopted approaches to community engagement (ACE) to design and deliver malaria interventions. This scoping review aimed to understand, map, and synthesise intervention activities guided by ACE and implemented by countries worldwide for the prevention, control and elimination of malaria. METHODS Three databases (Web of Science, Proquest, and Medline) were searched for peer-reviewed, primary studies, published in English between 1 January 2000 and 31 December 2022. Advanced Google was used to search for grey literature. The five levels of the International Association for Public Participation were used to categorise ACE - (1) Inform, (2) Consult, (3) involve, (4) Collaborate, and (5) Co-lead. Intervention activities were categorised as health education (HE), and/or health services (HS), and/or environmental management (EM). Outcomes were collected as knowledge, attitude, behaviour, help-seeking, health and HS and environment. Enablers and barriers were identified. Malaria intervention phases were categorised as (1) prevention (P), or (2) control (C), or (3) prevention and control (PC) or prevention, control and elimination (PCE). RESULTS Seventy-five studies were included in the review. Based on ACE levels, most studies were at the inform (n=37) and involve (n=26) level. HE (n=66) and HS (n=43) were the common intervention activities. HE informed communities about malaria, its prevention and vector control. EM activities were effective when complemented by HE. Community-based HS using locally recruited health workers was well-accepted by the community. Involvement of local leaders and collaboration with local stakeholders can be enablers for malaria intervention activities. CONCLUSION Involving local leaders and community groups in all stages of malaria prevention programmes is vital for successful interventions. Key elements of successful ACE, that is, consult, collaborate, and co-lead were under-represented in the literature and require attention. National programes must consult and collaborate with community stakeholders to develop ownership of the interventions and eventually co-lead them.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kiran Raj Awasthi
- School of Population Health, Curtin University, Perth, Western Australia, Australia
| | - Jonine Jancey
- Western Australian Centre for Health Promotion Research, School of Public Health, Curtin University, Perth, Western Australia, Australia
| | | | - Rajni Rai
- School of Population Health, Curtin University, Perth, Western Australia, Australia
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Ahmad RA, Ferdiana A, Surendra H, Sy TR, Herbianto D, Rahayujati TB, Rejeki DSS, Murhandarwati EEH. A participatory approach to address within-country cross-border malaria: the case of Menoreh Hills in Java, Indonesia. Malar J 2021; 20:137. [PMID: 33676491 PMCID: PMC7937247 DOI: 10.1186/s12936-021-03673-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/15/2020] [Accepted: 02/25/2021] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Malaria remains a significant public health issue in Indonesia. Most of the endemic areas are in the eastern parts of Indonesia, but there are a few remaining foci of persistent endemic malaria in Java, particularly in Menoreh Hills, a region bordering three districts of two provinces on this island. Despite a commitment to build a partnership to eliminate cross-border malaria, there is a lack of understanding of how this partnership might be translated into an implementable strategic plan. The study aims to provide evidence of how a participatory approach was used to strengthen the cross-border collaboration and stakeholders' capacity to develop a joint strategic, operational, and costing plan for cross-border malaria elimination. METHODS A participatory action research was conducted from January to August 2017, involving participants from the village, district, provincial, and national levels. This study was conducted in seven phases, including document review, focus group discussions (FGDs), planning and costing workshops, and a dissemination meeting. A total of 44 participants from primary health centres (PHC) and 27 representatives of affected villages in three districts, 16 participants from the district and provincial malaria programmes and planning bureaus, and 11 participants from the national level were involved in the processes. Data on priority issues, costing, programme coverage, and administration were collected. Thematic coding and feedback were used for analysis. RESULTS Problems identified by stakeholders included low community awareness and participation in malaria prevention, high mobility across three districts, lack of financial and human resources, lack of inter-district coordination, and poor implementation of migration surveillance. Cross-border strategies identified to address malaria were improving cross-border migration surveillance, strengthening the network, governance, and advocacy of malaria control implementation across borders, and developing the malaria information system. A working group composed of the three districts' representatives authorized to decide on cross-border issues will be created. CONCLUSIONS The participatory approach was applicable in cross-border malaria planning for within-country settings and useful in enhancing stakeholders' capacities as implementers. While done in a participatory way, the joint plan crafted was a non-binding agreement; stakeholders should advocate to ensure adequate funds are poured into mobilizing the programme.
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Affiliation(s)
- Riris Andono Ahmad
- Centre for Tropical Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Public Health and Nursing, Universitas Gadjah Mada, Yogyakarta, Indonesia. .,Department of Biostatistics, Epidemiology and Population Health, Faculty of Medicine, Public Health and Nursing, Universitas Gadjah Mada, Yogyakarta, Indonesia.
| | - Astri Ferdiana
- Centre for Tropical Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Public Health and Nursing, Universitas Gadjah Mada, Yogyakarta, Indonesia.,Department of Public Health, Faculty of Medicine, University of Mataram, Mataram, Indonesia
| | - Henry Surendra
- Centre for Tropical Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Public Health and Nursing, Universitas Gadjah Mada, Yogyakarta, Indonesia.,Eijkman-Oxford Clinical Research Unit, Jakarta, Indonesia
| | - Tyrone Reden Sy
- Centre for Tropical Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Public Health and Nursing, Universitas Gadjah Mada, Yogyakarta, Indonesia
| | - Deni Herbianto
- Centre for Tropical Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Public Health and Nursing, Universitas Gadjah Mada, Yogyakarta, Indonesia
| | - Theodola Baning Rahayujati
- Disease Prevention and Control, District Health Office of Kulon Progo, Kulon Progo, Yogyakarta, Indonesia
| | - Dwi Sarwani Sri Rejeki
- Department of Public Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, Universitas Jenderal Soedirman, Purwokerto, Central Java, Indonesia
| | - E Elsa Herdiana Murhandarwati
- Centre for Tropical Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Public Health and Nursing, Universitas Gadjah Mada, Yogyakarta, Indonesia.,Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Medicine, Public Health and Nursing, Universitas Gadjah Mada, Yogyakarta, Indonesia
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Asegedew B, Tessema F, Perry HB, Bisrat F. The CORE Group Polio Project's Community Volunteers and Polio Eradication in Ethiopia: Self-Reports of Their Activities, Knowledge, and Contributions. Am J Trop Med Hyg 2019; 101:45-51. [PMID: 31760977 PMCID: PMC6776091 DOI: 10.4269/ajtmh.18-1000] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2018] [Accepted: 06/06/2019] [Indexed: 01/12/2023] Open
Abstract
In 2001, the CORE Group Polio Project (CGPP) began to support polio eradication initiatives in hard-to-reach pastoralist and semi-pastoralist high-risk border areas of Ethiopia by training and supporting community volunteers (CVs) for immunization promotion and community-based surveillance activities. This article describes the development and current status of the CGPP CV network in Ethiopia. It also reports the results of a 2016 survey of CVs. Community volunteers are selected jointly by the local community, local government officials, and local health facility staff. They work closely with the health extension worker in their area and are responsible for 50-100 households. More than 12,000 CVs have been trained and have reached six million people. They make routine home visits to 1) provide education on vaccine-preventable diseases, 2) promote healthy behaviors, 3) inform parents on how to access immunization services, and 4) report cases of acute flaccid paralysis, neonatal tetanus, and measles as well as births. The 2016 survey of 675 CVs demonstrated that 84.1% had conducted home visits in the previous month to 1) identify and register pregnant mothers and newborns, 2) provide health education, 3) conduct disease surveillance, and 4) search for and register immunization defaulters. Of the CVs, 98.2% reported that their work had led to improvements in the community. Knowledge of CVs about vaccine-preventable diseases was suboptimal. CVs expressed a desire for more training. Community volunteers have made notable contributions to polio eradication efforts in high-risk areas of Ethiopia as well as to immunization promotion and disease control more broadly.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Fasil Tessema
- Department of Epidemiology, Faculty of Public Health, Jimma University, Jimma, Ethiopia
| | - Henry B. Perry
- Department of International Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland
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