NEWS RELEASE: $100 Million to Fight Malaria

6 November 2009
According to the World Health Organisation, around one million people die every year from malaria, mostly African children under the age of five. This is the equivalent of a child dying every 30 seconds from a disease that is both preventable and curable. Pregnant women and their unborn children are also especially vulnerable.

Insecticidal treated nets, properly used, provide a crucial preventative measure. This new five-year USAID project, NetWorks, will help ensure that those who are most vulnerable will not only receive nets, but will be able to depend on effective distribution systems to be able to replace them as they wear out in years to come.

Malaria Consortium will lead the net distribution and operations research elements of the project, which will be managed by US-based John Hopkins University Centre for Communications Programmes (CCP). Several USAID African missions will be given the opportunity to sign up to the project for implementation in country.

“We are delighted to have won this funding with CCP,” said Dr Graham Root, Managing Director of Malaria Consortium. “Our experience and understanding of the design and implementation of different net distribution systems using the public and private sectors, and civil society will help ensure this project takes hold wherever it is implemented.”

NetWorks offers a unique comprehensive and dynamic approach to empower national governments and project partners to create systems which allow access, enable ownership and promote appropriate use of long-lasting insecticidal nets and other malaria prevention technologies.

“The success of malaria control in Africa and its eventual elimination requires this sort of long term approach,” added Dr Root. “It is critical that we look beyond the Roll Back Malaria deadline of 2010 and put in place distribution systems that will sustain high levels of long-lasting insecticidal net coverage and support African countries in their efforts to attain the Millennium Development Goals by the 2015 deadline.”

Partnerships and policies in each country can vary widely, and net procurement and distribution challenges frequently hamper implementation. The NetWorks project takes the unique complexity of different environments into account by emphasising the need for flexibility. Mixed distribution methods are crucial if households are to have sustained protection through net access and use.

The key elements to NetWorks will include rapid analysis to fully assess the national net context, the building of stakeholder coordination, the strengthening of distribution networks, demand creation, and ongoing evaluation and operational research.

For more information or to arrange an interview with Dr Root, please contact Diana Thomas on +44 (0)20 7549 0254 or [email protected].

To view the USAID press release click here

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Malaria Consortium
Malaria Consortium is the world’s leading not-for-profit dedicated to the control of malaria and applies its depth of technical expertise and practical experience to develop smarter solutions that improve and save lives. Through innovation, Malaria Consortium increases the impact of malaria and disease control programmes so that they benefit all communities, including delivery in the most challenging environments. Malaria Consortium has pioneered best practices and approaches, setting the standards for delivery and access.  Malaria Consortium is headquartered in London, United Kingdom, with over 95% of its staff based in malaria-endemic countries supporting Ministries of Health and partners in over 20 countries every year.