Fact Sheet: Accelerating the Fight Against Malaria
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A mother and children show off their Insecticide Treated Net (ITN) for malaria prevention. Source: Chris Thomas/USAID |
The USAID Approach
USAID is committed to reducing malaria around the world, in close collaboration with national and international partners. USAID uses a comprehensive strategy that combines prevention and treatment approaches, including interventions to reduce malaria among pregnant women. These approaches are proven to be effective in reducing sickness and death from this disease, especially in Africa.
- Prevention: The most effective way to reduce deaths from malaria is to prevent infection in the first place, and the use of insecticides has been shown to be the single best tool for malaria prevention. Both insecticide-treated mosquito nets (ITNs) and indoor residual spraying (IRS) of insecticides in households are highly effective means of reducing malaria illness and deaths. USAID supports the use of spraying in settings where appropriate infrastructure is available to ensure that spraying is done safely and effectively. In the last year, USAID supported spraying programs in eight countries.
USAID also works with national programs and private sector partners at the national level to expand use of insecticide-treated bednets, and in several countries, to build the capacity of African suppliers to promote and distribute these nets. USAID also supports programs that offer free bednets to the most vulnerable populations.
- Treatment: USAID has played a critical role in field-testing new drugs to treat malaria, including several treatments derived from Artemisia annua, a wormwood plant. Artemisinin-based combination therapies (ACT) are recommended by the World Health Organization for use against drug-resistant strains of malaria. USAID is also working closely with country partners to support the implementation of ACTs, which have been adopted by 40 countries since 2001 - including 20 African nations.
- Malaria in Pregnancy: Each year, more than 30 million pregnant women in Africa are at risk for malaria infections, which contribute to low birth weight and anemia, and cause between 100,000 and 200,000 infants annually in Africa. USAID works closely with country partners in Africa to encourage the adoption of strategies to prevent and treat malaria in pregnancy, including intermittent preventive treatment (IPT). IPT is a highly effective approach that integrates malaria treatment for the pregnant mother into routine antenatal care.
- Research: In addition to program implementation at the country level, approximately 10 percent of USAID’s malaria budget is devoted to research, including malaria vaccine development, the development of new and improved antimalarial drugs, and operations research to improve the delivery of current prevention and treatment options.
Key Partners
- International and Country-Level: USAID’s strategy for malaria control and prevention engages a wide array of partners, including governments, international organizations, non-governmental and faith-based organizations, and public and private entities. USAID also works closely with the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria; host-country counterparts; and national malaria control programs to achieve rapid diagnosis and prompt, effective treatment.
- U.S. Government: USAID works closely with other U.S. Government agencies, particularly the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for operations research and vaccine development, as well as the National Institutes of Health and Department of Defense for vaccine development.
- Private Sector: The private sector can play a key role in increasing the manufacture and delivery of key commodities for the prevention and treatment of malaria, and USAID supports the private sector as a complement to public sector delivery strategies. For example, through partnership with agricultural and pharmaceutical sectors in Africa, USAID is working to encourage greater cultivation of Artemisia annua, the plant used in artemisinin combination therapies (ACT).
Current Beneficiaries in Africa
USAID currently provides bilateral assistance for malaria control to Angola, Benin, Burundi, Democratic Republic of Congo, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Ghana, Guinea, Kenya, Liberia, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mozambique, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia.
The President's Initiative
More Information on the President’s Initiative
More Information USAID Malaria Programs
Other USAID Infectious Diseases Programs
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