PATH, Medical Care Development International, Population Services International, and Save the Children receive USAID award to expand malaria diagnosis and treatment globally

Contacts:
Amy MacIver, 206.302.4522, amaciver@path.org
Paul Hamilton, director of MalariaCare, MalariaCare@path.org.

Washington, DC, November 29, 2012—PATH and partners Medical Care Development International, Population Services International, and Save the Children were recently awarded a cooperative agreement with a US$49 million ceiling from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) to lead a five-year effort to scale up high-quality diagnosis of and strengthen case management services for malaria and other life-threatening diseases in focus countries of the US President’s Malaria Initiative, or PMI, and other countries.

The name of the new partnership is “MalariaCare: Universal Diagnosis and Treatment to Improve Maternal and Child Health.” The objective of the cooperative agreement is to reduce the burden of serious childhood disease and promote healthy communities and families around the world. It will continue and expand the work of USAID’s Improving Malaria Diagnosis (IMaD) Project by providing comprehensive technical assistance, implementation support, and global leadership for improving country capacity to scale up programs that provide high-quality diagnostic and treatment services for malaria and other key childhood illnesses and infectious diseases.

Specifically, MalariaCare activities will support the PMI goal to achieve Africa-wide impact by halving the burden of malaria in 70 percent of at-risk populations in sub-Saharan Africa—or approximately 450 million people. The new project will focus on three key areas:

• Scaling up diagnostic testing and case management for malaria at the facility and community levels in both the public and private sectors.
• Strengthening the quality and expanding the availability of laboratory services for malaria and other key infectious diseases.
• Improving the capacity of clinicians and community health workers to manage malaria and other childhood illnesses.

“We are excited to lead this important effort to expand malaria diagnosis and treatment for mothers, children, and families around the world,” said PATH’s Paul Hamilton, director of MalariaCare. “By increasing access to accurate diagnostic tests and ensuring appropriate treatment for malaria patients, the partnership will support countries to reduce the burden of malaria and other serious diseases and move us closer to a malaria-free world.” 

PATH is using multiple lines of attack to fight malaria. We are developing and implementing strategies with national and global partners to create expanding malaria-free zones (and eventually eliminate the disease); bringing together public- and private-sector partners to accelerate the development of malaria vaccines; and working to create a steady, affordable, and high-quality supply of drugs for malaria treatment.

Medical Care Development International has led major malaria control projects that are significantly increasing the number of people who receive an appropriate malaria diagnosis and treatment: the USAID-funded IMaD Cooperative Agreement in 14 PMI countries, the Bioko Island Malaria Control Project in Equatorial Guinea, the (Mainland) Equatorial Guinea Malaria Control Initiative, and in Benin, the Accelerating the Reduction of Malaria Morbidity and Mortality Cooperative Agreement.

Population Services International (PSI) is a global health organization dedicated to improving the health of people in the developing world by focusing on serious challenges like a lack of family planning, HIV/AIDS, barriers to maternal health, and the greatest threats to children younger than five, including malaria, diarrhea, pneumonia, and malnutrition. In 2011 alone, PSI averted approximately 53 million cases of malaria and prevented more than 474,000 malaria-related deaths. PSI is focused on improving access to effective treatment, enhancing quality of care, and increasing informed demand among caregivers to seek prompt and effective treatment from trained providers.

Save the Children is active in more than 120 countries and is internationally recognized for its capacity to mobilize and strengthen communities, reach disadvantaged populations, and facilitate lasting partnerships among communities, local organizations, and government. Save the Children maintains a global team of more than 460 health professionals with expertise in child health, nutrition, newborn health, maternal and reproductive health, HIV/AIDS, community mobilization, and strengthening of facility- and community-based treatment of malaria, pneumonia, and diarrhea in more than 20 countries.