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Dear Partners,
Happy New Year! We hope your 2022 isoff to a good and healthy start.
The first two years of navigatingCOVID-19 has changed the way we view and approach global health anddevelopment. Many of us have adapted and evolved. Our malaria fight is noexception.
As I look back on 2021, we entered withdetermination and ended with great resolve, leadership and collaboration asdemonstrated at our Asia Pacific Leaders Dialogue forMalaria Elimination. During theDialogue we urged partners, countries, and the malaria community to acceleratemalaria elimination and effectively address emerging health threats with thefollowing actions:
1. Adopt a Whole ofGovernment Approach by establishing/re-invigorating Interministerial TaskForces to address cross-sectoral malaria challenges. Malaria elimination requires the creation of a policy environmentconducive to multi-stakeholder involvement across various sectors as it is notsolely a health problem but a societal one.
2. Develop jointcross-border elimination plans to ensure effective implementation of harmonisedactivities at ground level. Coordinatedefforts among neighbouring countries for managing and containing outbreaks,case management and case and foci investigation are needed to achieve malariaelimination and tackle other cross-border health challenges.
3. Ensure sustainedfunding for malaria service delivery and establish synergy with broader healthsystems funding to create programmatic efficiency.External financing (e.g., The Global Fund), commitment from Ministries ofFinance and other stakeholders who influence national budget allocationdecisions, and transition plans are all key to both reaching the eliminationgoal as well as preventing reintroduction in countries that have eliminatedmalaria.
Our recent report, Malaria Elimination Amidst Covid-19: ATest of Resilience In Asia Pacific, has highlighted the strength of ourcommunity and revealed inspiring stories of hope when we thought we would findsetbacks. Despite the projected halt of progress due to disruptions, thesituation brought forth remarkable resilience across the region. Leadership atall levels is the propeller.
We are inspired by the collaborationand resilience we have seen and are ready to begin a year of action to defeatmalaria once and for all. But as we enter year three of this pandemic, we must continue to adapt and remain steadfast. In fact, there aremany lessons in adaptation from other global eradication efforts - namelysmallpox and polio, that offer wisdom for our community: ‘Elimination is a contextspecific balancing act between some level of health system integration andverticality to ensure we can reach the elimination goal’.
Every effort we make in the fightagainst malaria leaves a longer-term legacy that better prepares humanity todeal with future outbreaks and pandemic. Wehave the tools and resilience to defeat malaria even amidst extraordinaryuncertainty. Our strength lies in our collective commitment to finish this historicalfight.
Ourcollective win, is taking a step towards the dream of a malaria-free AsiaPacific by 2030.
Bestwishes,
Dr Sarthak Das,DrPH
CEO, Asia Pacific Leaders Malaria Alliance
Malaria Elimination Amidst COVID-19: A Test of Resilience
A compilation of country snapshots highlighting tremendous commitment and agility behind continued malaria progress in the region, despite the pandemic's disruptions.
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RECAP: 2021 Asia Pacific Leaders Dialogue on Malaria Elimination
We are delighted so many of you were able to join our virtual dialogue hosted by the Ministry of Health Bhutan, APLMA and APMEN. For a summary of key highlights please click the link below. Our deepest thanks to you all, and our partners, for joining us! It’s also not too late to share your valuable feedback here.
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Asia Pacific Makes Steady Progress Against Malaria During the Pandemic, Yet Gaps Remain in Some High Burden Countries
APLMA and APMEN welcomed overall progress in the region but urged continued commitment and collaboration from countries to end malaria by 2030.
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Universal Health Coverage in Asia Pacific: Access to Services and Medicines for All - Malaria Elimination Depends on It!
Our new thematic brief explored the nexus of advancing Universal Health Coverage to accelerate malaria elimination while existing malaria control programs can act as entry points to strengthen primary health care systems.
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