For Immediate Release

April 25, 2015

USAID/Antananarivo

++261/20-23-48000 x. 2788 | e-mail: mmanning@usaid.gov

Antananarivo, Madagascar – The United States government is pleased this World Malaria Day to note the dramatic progress that has been made over the past decade to reduce the burden of malaria in sub-Saharan Africa.  According to the World Health Organization, the scale-up of malaria control interventions resulted in an estimated 4.3 million fewer malaria deaths globally since 2000.

Every year, the global community observes World Malaria Day to call attention to the disease and to mobilize action to combat it. The United States malaria program, through the President’s Malaria Initiative (PMI), continues to be a leader in the global fight against malaria.  In the ninth year of the initiative, its financial and technical contributions are a major impulse in the remarkable progress that has been achieved in many countries to reduce the devastating burden of malaria on child mortality.

"Malaria is one of the biggest health threats in Africa, particularly for children," said Ambassador Robert T. Yamate.  "The United States is committed to assisting Madagascar to control, contain, and someday eliminate this deadly menace."

PMI funds programs in 19 focus countries in Africa and one regional program in Southeast Asia. PMI’s objective is to cut by half the malaria burden in 70 percent of at-risk populations in sub-Saharan Africa –approximately 450 million people. Madagascar is one of PMI priority countries.  PMI works alongside national Ministry of Health to strengthen links between health facilities and community health volunteers and engage communities to support community-based diagnosis and case management. 

In February 2015, PMI launched its next six-year strategy. The strategy takes into account the progress over the past decade and the new challenges that have arisen, setting forth a vision, goal, objectives, and strategic approach for PMI through 2020, while reaffirming the longer-term goal of a world without malaria.

In Madagascar, thanks to PMI, 1.6 million people were protected in 2014 by indoor spraying.  Since 2008, 15 million long lasting bed nets, more than six million Rapid diagnostic Tests (RDTs), 1.4 million Artemisin-based Combination Therapy (ACTs) and  three million Sulfadoxine-Pyrimethamine (SP) tablets have been procured to protect and treat Malagasy people, especially children and pregnant women and over 17,000 community health volunteers have been trained in diagnosis and treatment of simple malaria.

Success in the fight against malaria is one of development’s most impressive stories: over the past ten years, due to global efforts, reported malaria cases have been cut in half in over 40 countries; between 2000 and 2013, malaria mortality rates in African children were reduced by an estimated 58 percent.

Today, global malaria control efforts save 485 children each day from dying from malaria.