Malaria is among the deadliest diseases in human history. In 2016, there were 216 million cases and 445,000 deaths from malaria, with about 90 per cent of these occurring in sub-Saharan Africa.

Multidrug-resistant malaria first emerged in Cambodia and Thailand, and has now spread to China, Lao PDR, Myanmar and Viet Nam.

The $243 million RAI2-Elimination (RAI2E) grant is the Global Fund′s largest regional grant, and the first with the defined goal of disease elimination from a specific geography.

Supported by the Global Fund, RAI2E brings together funders, multilateral agencies, technical partners, scientific researchers, communities, the private sector and governments from the five countries in a strong partnership to accelerate efforts to eliminate malaria from the Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS) by 2030.

Pregnant women and children under 5 years of age are most at risk. Malaria in pregnancy can lead to stillbirths, low birth weight and other complications, and children under 5 are vulnerable because they have not yet developed any immunity to the disease.

RAI2E partners are working to ensure coordination, cooperation and accountability in the implementation of the various programmes supported by the RAI2E grant ‘to defeat malaria together’. RAI2E is well on track to accelerate the elimination of malaria from GMS.