In Myanmar, many rural communities face significant barriers to accessing essential health services, especially in hard-to-reach regions. Malaria Consortium partners with the Department of Health and local stakeholders to strengthen the health system by focusing on integrated community case management, targeted disease surveillance and vector control interventions.
Our programmes have involved training and supporting community volunteers to diagnose and treat common childhood illnesses — such as pneumonia, diarrhoea, malaria and malnutrition. These activities promote behaviour change and equitable access to health services among populations facing barriers to care, such as women and children in remote communities, and ethnic minorities.
Our work extends to implementation research, policy development and technical assistance, helping to inform national strategies and close service gaps for the most susceptible to disease. By advancing innovative approaches and supporting evidence-based interventions, we are committed to ensuring healthier futures for communities across Myanmar.
Myanmar at a glance
▶ The under-five mortality rate in rural areas is around 40 deaths per 1,000 live births.
▶ Average annual dengue cases since 2010 amounts to over 17,000, mostly in children under 10.
▶ The leading causes of childhood death are acute respiratory infection and diarrhoea.
Our impact
▶ Malaria Consortium has been active in Myanmar since 2005 and established an office in Yangon in 2013.
▶ We led the first ever national Malaria Indicator Survey, which informed the development of Myanmar’s National Strategic Plan and National Malaria Elimination Plan.
▶ We scaled up integrated community case management from three to six townships in the Sagaing region — training volunteers to diagnose and treat childhood illnesses and screen for malaria, pneumonia and malnutrition.
▶ Malaria Consortium developed and tested innovative social behaviour change approaches, such as the Role Model approach, which uses respected individuals within a community to champion positive health-seeking behaviours.
