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CDC is one of four partners in the U.S. Agency for International Development
(USAID) funded Malaria Action Coalition (MAC), formed to support the Roll
Back Malaria (RBM) initiative. The MAC is a global partnership whose
goal is to support the prevention and treatment of malaria in Africa.
MAC provides technical support to review, update and implement national
malaria policies. Formed in 2002, MAC is made up of four partners:
MAC’s goals support the achievement of two major targets identified
at the RBM summit in Abuja, Nigeria, in 2000:
- By 2005, at least 60% of people in Africa stricken by malaria, particularly
children under 5, will have access to prompt, effective, and affordable
treatment of malaria
- By 2005, at least 60% of pregnant women at risk for malaria in Africa
will have access to intermittent preventive treatment (IPT) to prevent
the adverse effects of malaria during pregnancy
MAC will contribute to attaining these goals by:
- Supporting countries to adopt and implement appropriate policies
for the treatment of malaria and for the prevention and control of
malaria in pregnancy
- Strengthening capacity at the national level to improve access to
and use of antimalarial drugs and services
- Increasing public knowledge of activities and demand for appropriate
prevention and treatment of malaria
- Strengthening national-level linkages to leverage resources from
other RBM partners
A third Abuja target calls for 60% of pregnant women and children under
5 years to benefit from the most suitable combination of personal and
community protective measures, such as insecticide-treated mosquito
nets (ITNs), by 2005. While MAC does not specifically focus on providing
technical support for the use of ITNs, ITNs are one of the most effective
interventions for the prevention of malaria and MAC encourages policy
change to include ITNs as part of an integrated package of malaria control
efforts. MAC will refer ministries of health to other sources of technical
support regarding ITNs when necessary.
MAC provides technical support at the national, sub-regional and regional
levels in Africa. At the regional and sub-regional level, MAC supports
the development and dissemination of frameworks, guidelines, tools,
and materials for the adoption and implementation of appropriate strategies
for malaria treatment and the prevention and control of malaria in pregnancy.
MAC also provides technical support to regional and sub-regional networks
that focus on these issues. At the country level, MAC partners develop
a joint plan of action to address a specific country’s needs.
These activities are developed and carried out with RBM partners working
in the country. Some of the types of technical support the MAC partnership
can assist countries with include epidemiologic surveillance, operational
research, policy dialogue and development, drug management and use,
maternal health and prenatal care, implementation of pilot studies,
and monitoring and evaluation of program activities.
For more information about MAC, contact:
Kathleen Webb
MAC Program Associate
Management Sciences for Health
4301 North Fairfax Drive, Suite 400, Arlington, VA 22203, USA
Tel: 1 (703)
524-6575
Fax: 1 (703) 524-7898
Email: kwebb@msh.org
Trenton K. Ruebush
USAID Bureau for Global
Health, Malaria Team
1300
Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20523-4600, USA
Tel: 1 (202) 712-5734
Fax: 1 (202) 216-3702
Email: truebush@usaid.gov
Page last modified : Updated
September 6,
2004
Content source: Division of Parasitic Diseases
National Center for Zoonotic, Vector-Borne, and Enteric Diseases (ZVED)
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