WHO Global Malaria Programme
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| WHO Global Malaria Programme | |
|---|---|
| Name | WHO Global Malaria Programme |
| Formation | 1998 |
| Type | Programme |
| Headquarters | Geneva, Switzerland |
| Leader title | Director |
| Parent organization | World Health Organization |
WHO Global Malaria Programme
The WHO Global Malaria Programme is the World Health Organization technical unit responsible for coordinating global efforts to control and eliminate malaria and to support national malaria control programs across regions such as Africa, Southeast Asia, Eastern Mediterranean Region, and the Americas. It provides normative guidance, strategic planning, and policy support for partners including Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, Roll Back Malaria Partnership, UNICEF, UNDP, and national ministries of health such as the Ministry of Health (Nigeria), Ministry of Health (India), and Ministry of Public Health (Thailand).
Overview
The programme issues evidence-based guidance aligned with declarations like the Alma-Ata Declaration and resolutions from the World Health Assembly, advising stakeholders including Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, and African Union health bodies. It synthesizes research from institutions such as the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Institut Pasteur, Kenya Medical Research Institute, and Ifakara Health Institute to inform standards used by national malaria control programmes and agencies like Médecins Sans Frontières and PATH.
History
The programme was formalized within the World Health Organization structure as part of evolving global responses to malaria since milestones including the Eradication of malaria (historic) campaigns, the Alma-Ata Declaration, and the launch of Roll Back Malaria in 1998. Its work has intersected with global initiatives such as the Millennium Development Goals, the Sustainable Development Goals, and agreements forged at conferences like the World Health Assembly and the United Nations General Assembly high-level meetings on health. Directors and technical leaders have collaborated with researchers from Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and universities such as Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and University of Oxford on policy transitions informed by trials like those run by the Malaria Vaccine Implementation Programme and vaccine developers including GSK and Pfizer.
Strategy and Objectives
The programme frames strategic objectives to reduce malaria burden, interrupt transmission, and sustain elimination, aligning with global frameworks such as the Global Technical Strategy for Malaria 2016–2030 endorsed at the World Health Assembly. It targets vulnerable populations addressed in policy dialogues involving UNICEF, World Bank, African Leaders Malaria Alliance, and national stakeholders including the Ministry of Health (Mozambique), Ministry of Health (Brazil), and Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (Bangladesh). The strategy encompasses prevention, diagnosis, treatment, surveillance, and operational research in collaboration with programs like the Global Fund and donor frameworks such as those of Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and Wellcome Trust.
Key Programs and Initiatives
Key initiatives include guidance on vector control methods such as long-lasting insecticidal nets evaluated by trials at Ifakara Health Institute and Vector Control Advisory Group consultations, deployment of rapid diagnostic tests coordinated with Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Foundation for Innovative New Diagnostics, and support for vaccine policy via the Strategic Advisory Group of Experts on Immunization and collaborations with GAVI, the Vaccine Alliance. Other initiatives address antimalarial drug policy, including artemisinin-based combination therapy debates involving World Health Assembly resolutions and partnerships with Medicines for Malaria Venture and national regulatory agencies like the European Medicines Agency.
Surveillance, Monitoring, and Evaluation
Surveillance systems promoted by the programme draw on methods used by Demographic and Health Surveys, Malaria Indicator Survey, and electronic health platforms piloted in countries such as Rwanda, Zambia, and Cambodia. Monitoring frameworks reference indicators used by the Global Fund and the World Bank and rely on collaborations with organizations like Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation and Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation-funded initiatives. Evaluation of interventions has engaged partners such as London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine and national research institutes including Kenya Medical Research Institute.
Research, Policy, and Guidelines
The programme issues normative guidelines informed by systematic reviews from institutions including Cochrane Collaboration, randomized trials from Ifakara Health Institute and Malaria Vaccine Implementation Programme, and policy inputs from advisory bodies such as the Strategic Advisory Group of Experts on Immunization and the Malaria Policy Advisory Group. Topics covered include antimalarial resistance, with research linkages to Wellcome Trust-funded labs and surveillance networks monitoring mutations like those tracked in studies by Institut Pasteur and Mahidol University. Policy development engages regulatory authorities such as the European Medicines Agency and technical partners including PATH and Medicines for Malaria Venture.
Partnerships and Funding
Partnerships span multilateral and bilateral partners such as Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, GAVI, the Vaccine Alliance, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, World Bank, United States Agency for International Development, and regional bodies like the African Union and Pan American Health Organization. Funding and programmatic support also come from philanthropic entities including Wellcome Trust and corporate collaborations with vaccine developers such as GSK and Pfizer. Coordination occurs through consortia like the Roll Back Malaria Partnership and technical networks involving Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Public Health England, and academic partners including Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and University of Oxford.