World Malaria Day 2018: Ready to beat malaria 15.04.2018

Supported by the Global Fund, early diagnosis and accurate treatment of malaria is provided by malaria volunteers trained in using Rapid Diagnostic Test kits, which save many lives in areas where malaria is prevalent and access to healthcare is limited. Photo: John Rae/The Global Fund

Supported by the Global Fund, early diagnosis and accurate treatment of malaria is provided by malaria volunteers trained in using Rapid Diagnostic Test kits, which save many lives in areas where malaria is prevalent and access to healthcare is limited. Photo: John Rae/The Global Fund

We join our partners in promoting this year’s World Malaria Day theme, 'Ready to Beat Malaria'. This theme underscores the collective energy and commitment of the global malaria community in uniting around the common goal of a world free of malaria. It highlights the remarkable progress achieved in tackling malaria.

We join our partners in promoting this year’s World Malaria Day theme, 'Ready to Beat Malaria'. This theme underscores the collective energy and commitment of the global malaria community in uniting around the common goal of a world free of malaria. It highlights the remarkable progress achieved in tackling malaria.

It is a global health priority to protect the efficacy of artemisinin-based combination therapy (ACT) which is our best drug to treat malaria. Artemisinin resistance has been reported in five countries of the Greater Mekong Sub-region (GMS): Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam. There is an urgent need to tackle artemisinin resistance in these countries.

Monitoring efficacy of anti-malarial drugs is important to detect fake and substandard drugs. The RAI2-Elimination programme (RAI2E) is working with partners from the five GMS countries to ensure the availability of quality testing for anti-malarial drugs.

The RAI2E supports increased malaria service coverage for remote populations in border areas and other at-risk populations. These are the people who face the highest risk and are least likely to have access to formal health centres.

It is essential to identify the geographical areas or population groups that are most affected by malaria through effective surveillance. In view of this, the programme is supporting countries to invest in malaria case management through health volunteers and surveillance systems.