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Page 1: Global Malaria Programme · Malaria control and elimination efforts are guided by the Global technical strategy for malaria 2016–2030 (GTS) (4). Adopted by the World Health Assembly

WHO technical brief for countries preparing malaria funding requests for the Global Fund (2020–2022)

Global Malaria Programme

Advance copy

Page 2: Global Malaria Programme · Malaria control and elimination efforts are guided by the Global technical strategy for malaria 2016–2030 (GTS) (4). Adopted by the World Health Assembly
Page 3: Global Malaria Programme · Malaria control and elimination efforts are guided by the Global technical strategy for malaria 2016–2030 (GTS) (4). Adopted by the World Health Assembly

WHO technical brief for countries preparing malaria funding requests for the Global Fund (2020–2022)

Global Malaria Programme

Advance copy

Page 4: Global Malaria Programme · Malaria control and elimination efforts are guided by the Global technical strategy for malaria 2016–2030 (GTS) (4). Adopted by the World Health Assembly

Advance copy© World Health Organization 2020

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The recommendations contained in this publication are based on the advice of independent experts, who have considered the best available evidence, a risk–benefit analysis and other factors, as appropriate. This publication may include recommendations on the use of medicinal products for an indication, in a dosage form, dose regimen, population or other use parameters that are not included in the approved labelling. Relevant stakeholders should familiarize themselves with applicable national legal and ethical requirements. WHO does not accept any liability for the procurement, distribution and/or administration of any product for any use.

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CONTENTS

FOREWORD 1

1. INTRODUCTION 2

2. USE OF STRATEGIC INFORMATION TO DRIVE IMPACT 4

3. MALARIA VECTOR CONTROL INCLUDING INSECTICIDE RESISTANCE 19

4. PREVENTIVE CHEMOTHERAPIES 28

5. CASE MANAGEMENT (MALARIA DIAGNOSIS AND TREATMENT) 35

6. MALARIA ELIMINATION AND PREVENTION OF RE-ESTABLISHMENT 52

REFERENCES 57

QUICK REFERENCE TABLE 59

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FOREWORD

After many years of great progress in our fight against malaria, our trajectory is plateauing and the world will not achieve the 2020 malaria targets for morbidity and mortality reduction. With over 400 000 deaths and in excess of 200 million malaria cases each year, we must urgently evolve our approach if we are to realize the full potential of current tools and the available resources and get back on track.

The country-led “High burden high impact” (HBHI) response, launched in 2018 by WHO and the RBM Partnership to End Malaria, aims to reignite the pace of progress in the global malaria fight and is guided by four key elements (1).1

Clear evidence-informed guidance is one, critical, response element. This document summarizes all of the current WHO malaria recommendations. These remain unchanged and are the product of careful evaluation following standardized procedures as part of the WHO normative processes. WHO uses strictly defined processes to assess the strength of the recommendations and the certainty of the evidence upon which they are based. Our recommendations tend to be summary statements, which are usually accompanied by supplementary statements that draw attention to contextual and implementation considerations and key desirable and undesirable effects. This document helps to distinguish the formal recommendations from the supplementary statements. We are working to improve the development, presentation and flexibility of our recommendations. In future, we aim to produce living guidelines which will be updated more rapidly following the availability of new evidence.

A second response element focuses on the strategic use of local data. This acknowledges the great contextual diversity within which we collectively operate. A good understanding of the different types of settings within each country – or strata – is essential to identify the optimal mix of interventions, and the best means to deliver them. We are therefore working with countries to strengthen the use of local information for stratification, the definition of optimal mixes of interventions and the rational, safe and ethical prioritization of resources to maximize impact. Local data are also essential to understand the impact of the strategies deployed, providing opportunities to further refine sub-national strategies and to inform global knowledge.

This document builds on the principles articulated in the global technical strategy, elaborated in the elimination framework and the HBHI approach. In 2019, the Malaria Policy Advisory Committee (MPAC), an independent advisory group of global experts that advises WHO, endorsed the fundamental need to invest in data collection, collation and curation at the country level, and to build capacity to use these data to inform prioritization processes (2).

This document is an evolution of previous guidance and intended to support national malaria programmes in the development of robust funding proposals that are tailored to their contexts, and the evaluation of the proposals by the Global Fund’s Technical Review Panels. The first section provides an overview of the purpose of the brief. Section 2 describes the process of stratification, that guides intervention mixes for local contexts, and prioritization. Section 3 presents the evidence-based recommendations that have been developed through WHO’s standard, stringent processes. The final section comprises a quick reference table which summarizes the link between the recommendations and their potential adaptations as part of a tailored malaria intervention approaches, informed by local data.

1 HBHI four key elements: 1) political will to reduce malaria deaths; 2) strategic information to drive impact; 3) better guidance, policies and strategies; and 4) a coordinated national malaria response.

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1. INTRODUCTION

The World malaria report 2019 estimates that 405 000 deaths and 228 million cases were due to malaria in 2018 (3). The global priority is to reduce the high malaria burden, while retaining the long-term vision of malaria eradication. This document was developed by the WHO Global Malaria Programme as a summary of existing guidance and its application to the formulation of Global Fund grants. It is not intended as a substitute for the published WHO documents on which it is based but highlights the need to adapt global guidance according to national needs and evidence.

Malaria control and elimination efforts are guided by the Global technical strategy for malaria 2016–2030 (GTS) (4). Adopted by the World Health Assembly in May 2015, the strategy defines goals, milestones and targets on the path to a world free of malaria and (table 1). The goals focus attention both on the need to reduce morbidity and mortality, and to progressively eliminate malaria from countries that had malaria transmission in 2015.

Table 1: Goals, milestones and targets for the Global technical strategy for malaria 2016–2030

GOALS MILESTONES TARGETS

2020 2025 2030

1. Reduce malaria mortality rates globally compared with 2015

At least 40% At least 75% At least 90%

2. Reduce malaria case incidence globally compared with 2015

At least 40% At least 75% At least 90%

3. Eliminate malaria from countries in which malaria was transmitted in 2015

At least 10 countries

At least 20 countries

At least 35 countries

4. Prevent re-establishment of malaria in all countries that are malaria-free

Re-establishment

prevented

Re-establishment

prevented

Re-establishment

prevented

Figure 1: Global technical strategy for malaria 2016–2030 – framework, pillars and supporting elements

Pillar 3Transform malaria

surveillance into a core intervention

Pillar 1Ensure universal access to malaria prevention,

diagnosis and treatment

Pillar 2Accelerate efforts towards elimination and attainment

of malaria-free status

Global technical strategy for malaria 2016–2030

Supporting element 1. Harnessing innovation and expanding research

Supporting element 2. Strengthening the enabling environment

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Following steady reductions in malaria morbidity and mortality between 2000 and 2015, progress has stalled in recent years and the world is now off track to achieve the 2020 malaria morbidity and mortality targets. A revitalization effort, called “High burden to high impact”, was launched by WHO, the RBM partnership and countries with a high malaria burden in 2018 (1). This approach focuses attention on how to get back on track: garnering political will to reduce the toll of malaria; using strategic information to drive impact; developing better guidance, policies and strategies; and improving coordination of support for national malaria responses. Although the impetus for articulating these key activities was the need to get back on track to achieve the GTS morbidity and mortality targets, these activities apply equally well to all malaria endemic countries and to ensuring continued progress with the GTS elimination goals.

A key pillar of the GTS is enhanced surveillance and the local use of local data. This is essential for four steps involved in the development and monitoring of prioritised malaria control and elimination programmes: (i) stratification, of malaria risk and approaches to service provision; (ii) development of an optimal national strategic plan which that defines the packages of interventions needed to optimise malaria control and elimination in a country; (iii) informing rational prioritisation to maximise impact when the resources are insufficient to provide the optimal packages; (iv) monitoring the impact of the deployed intervention packages. This document is intended to support national malaria programmes in the development of robust funding proposals that deliver value for money in line with the national malaria strategic plan behind which partners can rally. This document will evolve using feedback from national programmes and their implementing partners, and ongoing work within WHO to better guide national prioritization processes in malaria control and elimination.

In 2019, WHO created a compendium of its malaria guidance (5). For the first time, this lists all WHO recommendations and associated guidance on malaria in a single resource, informing program managers, national and international stakeholders. The compendium aims to inform end-users about WHO’s global guidance but, like all global guidance, falls short of providing guidance on what every national malaria programme and their implementing partners should do in specific situations. In addition, the compendium references the relevant WHO handbooks, manuals, and other resources to guide readers on how these global recommendations can best be implemented.

The present document builds on the compendium by providing further advice on how to adapt the WHO recommendations across different contexts. The next section focuses on the central role of surveillance and is followed by sections on the preventive strategies of vector control and chemoprevention, then diagnosis and treatment. The final section looks at the ultimate ambition of elimination.

Feedback can be provided to WHO Global Malaria Programme using the following email address: [email protected]

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2. USE OF STRATEGIC INFORMATION TO DRIVE IMPACT

Malaria is a disease with complex transmission dynamics that is associated with considerable heterogeneity geographically and over time. Within any malaria endemic country, it is not unusual that the intensity of transmission and the associated burden of disease vary considerably due to climate, socioeconomic development, urbanization, health system as well other factors. Over time, parts of a country could also change from one level of endemicity to another due to changes in the determinants, especially as coverage and use of interventions impact on transmission and burden of disease. This heterogeneity requires a targeted response and the choice of interventions based on data and local (subnational) information. Value for money principles listed below (Box 1) should guide all aspects of the Global Fund funding proposal.

Box 1: The principles of value-for-money

Economy: addresses whether inputs (staff, consultants, raw materials and capital that are used to produce outputs) are purchased at appropriate quality and at the right price. In the case of malaria intervention, this will entail the collection of unit cost data for human, material and financial for all activities.

Efficiency: links inputs to outputs and measures, for example, whether quality malaria interventions are delivered at the right quantity and right timing to those populations that need them the most.

Effectiveness: how well are the outputs from an intervention achieving the desired outcome on the burden of malaria (measured as malaria infection, morbidity and all-cause mortality).

Equity: degree to which the results of the intervention are equitably distributed

Cost-effectiveness: the relationship between economic inputs and outcomes.

In the context of the fight against malaria, the strategic use of information for impact entails developing systems to generate, analyse and use reliable data to:

• identify populations at risk and the level of transmission and disease burden or malariogenic potential;

• review progress against malaria, nationally and sub-nationally, in a country to define the impact of interventions and activities that have been implemented, identify bottlenecks and set subnational targets;

• inform the best pathway to further progress in future;

• mobilize resources and maximize their impact through targeted subnational operationalization;

• identify the optimal means of delivery and address obstacles to access;

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• respond to outbreaks, epidemics and other emergencies;

• provide relevant information for certification of elimination;

• monitor whether the re-establishment of transmission has occurred and, if so, guide the response; and

• improve accountability.

Some of the main sources of strategic information include:

• routine health information systems, which may either cover multiple programmes, be specific to malaria or be limited to certain activities (e.g. laboratory services, interventions, distribution, surveillance);

• detailed epidemiological data from case-based malaria surveillance systems, which may be implemented when case numbers are low enough to match the resources needed to undertake such intensive surveillance;

• health facility surveys, which usually address whether facilities have the physical and human resources necessary to provide services (especially chemoprevention, diagnostic testing and treatment), and may include whether patients receive diagnostic testing and appropriate treatment;

• household surveys, which usually cover several health interventions, may capture health-seeking behaviour, and often target children under 5 years of age and women of reproductive age. Malaria-specific surveys are also common;

• operational or implementation research, which usually addresses specific questions of relevance to the malaria programme, may rely on household or health facility surveys, and may include studies of drug or insecticide efficacy;

• entomological surveillance, for understanding the distribution of the main malaria vectors, their behaviour and changes in their biting habits in response to the intervention; part of sentinel surveillance by national programmes and often including vector resistance to insecticides;

• data from supervision of health services (central, intermediate, health facility and health worker levels); and

• contextual data, which are not collected routinely or during operational research but are useful for further understanding and explanation of changing trends in the malaria burden (they include population censuses and climate and socioeconomic data);

• social science and qualitative research on treatment-seeking behaviour and barriers to access;

• climate data from national metrological departments and online data portals.

2.1 Steps in the use of strategic information for impactThe use of strategic information forms the basis for malaria progress reviews, stratification and intervention mix analysis, setting national strategic plans, supporting resource mobilization and prioritizing investments to increase impact. Operational activities must be linked to a robust monitoring and evaluation processes to ensure a dynamic loop of information that is necessary for continued impact. Figure 2 provides a brief description of the process and use of strategic information for malaria program reviews, national strategic plan development, resource mobilization, prioritization and implementation.

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Figure 2: An illustrative process for the collection, collation and use of strategic information for the delivery of national malaria programmes

2.2 Effective malaria surveillance systemAn effective surveillance system is fundamental to reliable strategic information. Malaria surveillance is “the continuous and systematic collection, analysis and interpretation of malaria related data, and the use of that data in the planning, implementation and evaluation of malaria programmes”. Pillar 3 of the Global technical strategy for malaria 2016-2030 is to transform malaria surveillance into a core intervention. The WHO Malaria surveillance, monitoring and evaluation: a reference manual was published in 2018 (6). The manual provides information that can be used to develop national standard operating procedures (SOPs) the following areas:

• malaria case surveillance in settings of malaria burden reduction and elimination;

• drug efficacy surveillance in elimination settings, especially in areas where each case is followed up in routine surveillance;

• entomological surveillance in settings of malaria burden reduction and elimination;

• epidemic detection, preparedness and response, especially in low- to moderate-transmission settings of burden reduction; and

• monitoring and evaluation of programmes and surveillance systems in all endemic settings.

As transmission decreases, the epidemiology of malaria is likely to change.

• The number of uncomplicated malaria cases and related fevers will decrease.

• The age distribution of cases of disease will become more evenly distributed, reflecting decreasing exposure, but with a greater proportion of adults, particularly males, when the countries near elimination.

• The numbers of severe cases and deaths will decrease, although the proportion of severe to uncomplicated disease may increase.

• The clinical presentation of severe disease, and the age group affected, may change

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• Malaria transmission will become more focal.

• In some settings, disease may become more prevalent among people in certain occupations more exposed to inoculations by local vectors, such as forest workers.

• Populations will become less immune, and the risk of epidemics and the associated case fatality rate will increase if interventions are interrupted.

• Imported cases may represent an increasing fraction of overall number of malaria cases.

• In countries with both P. falciparum and P. vivax malaria, the proportion of cases due to P. vivax may gradually increase, as generally the transmission of P. falciparum can be reduced faster with current interventions, while P. vivax infections may cause relapses due to the hypnozoite stage.

• Continued use of intervention exerts selection pressures on malaria vectors and parasites that lead to loss of efficacy of insecticides, drugs and diagnostics.

The goals and possibilities of surveillance, monitoring and evaluation also evolve during this transition (Figure 3).

• In areas of where the objective of the NMP is to reduce the burden of malaria, programme monitoring and evaluation are based mainly on aggregate numbers from routine information systems and household surveys, and actions are designed to ensure that the entire population has access to relevant services and there are no adverse disease trends.

• In areas with very low transmission where the objective of the NMP is to implement elimination activities, the distribution of malaria is more heterogeneous, and it is important to identify the population groups that are most severely affected by the disease and to target interventions appropriately. This will be facilitated by mapping areas of ongoing transmission and analysis of case distribution at community or household level. Case-based surveillance becomes critical in such settings.

• As transmission is reduced, the risk of epidemics increases; thus, cases at health facilities must be reported and analysed more frequently to ensure the early detection of a potential outbreak.

• Across all settings monitoring the efficacy and resistance of insecticides, drugs and diagnostics become essential components of the surveillance system.

• Ancillary data such as climate, population movement and logistics data on interventions, human resources and funding become integral to programme planning.

• Continuous evaluation of surveillance as an intervention becomes essential to improving quality of data.

• Increasing multidimensional data required structured databases that are available to lower level health entities and workers for monitoring and response.

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To develop effective surveillance systems, countries must focus on the following core elements:

• the people: including decision-makers both inside and outside the health service who use data from surveillance systems, the health staff who gather and/or use the data and the patients and communities whose details are registered;

• the procedures: including case definitions, reporting frequency, pathways of information flow, data quality systems, incentivizing capture and collation of good quality data, data analysis, mechanisms for reviewing performance, methods for and frequency of disseminating results, using data for making decisions about appropriate responses, supervision and planning;

• the tools: including report forms, tally sheets, registers, patient cards, database platforms with analysis dashboards, computer hardware and software, documentation and training materials;

• the structures: including the ways in which staff are organized to manage, develop and use the system.

In elimination settings, additional surveillance requirements include case notification, case and focus investigations and active case detection among high risk populations. Such intensified surveillance comes with significant costs and should be implemented when malaria elimination is in sight. Initial efforts should first be invested in increasing reporting of cases from monthly to weekly, and later to daily, using these data to better understand patterns and potential foci of transmission, analysing determinants of transmission in areas remaining with cases, identifying areas of low transmission and if cases are sufficiently few, implementing case-based surveillance, notifications and investigations.

Relevant data elements and indicators are shown in the annexes of the Malaria surveillance, monitoring and evaluation: a reference manual (6).

2.3 Structured national malaria programme database and analytical toolsTo ensure that countries use their surveillance data for operational activities and the development of policies and strategies, they need to develop structured and frequently updated databases that can be analysed to inform decision making at all levels of the programme. Such a database is not a replacement or equivalent to the HMIS but a mechanism to pull together routine and non-routine data to enhance the use of strategic information for impact. The WHO recommends the development of a single nationally owned malaria data repository. The core content of the malaria data repository is malaria related information from routine surveillance systems, intervention distributions from programmatic and logistics management systems, malariometric and intervention coverage data from household surveys, entomology, efficacy data (drugs, insecticides and diagnostics), funding, human resource, key documents and partnership inventories and climatic data. As much as possible, such repositories should be governed within the national health information systems in terms of hosting, updating, sharing and other data governance processes, but should be available to national malaria programme and partners and be available for use subnationally. Over time, the national repository will feed into, and benefit from, national health observatories. A proposed structure of national data repositories is shown in Figure 4.

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2.4 Analysis for response, programmatic monitoring, review and strategic planning

Analysis and review of malaria related data sub-nationally is needed to understand the drivers of progress, the bottlenecks and to selectively apply interventions to maximise impact. Malaria programme reviews as recommended by WHO should be conducted using the best available and validated subnational data (7).

Detailed subnational analysis and stratification should be part of the malaria programme reviews to assess the status of the burden of malaria over time, the impact achieved by countries so far, the determinants of observed progress to inform future actions.

Three such actions are:

1. developing new national strategic plans with a process of optimizing the intervention strategies stipulated in the strategy to achieve the national goals;

2. prioritizing available resources, which are often not enough to achieve the full strategic goals, so that all investment lead to greatest possible impact; and

3. developing and monitoring sub-national operation plans to efficient, effective and equitable delivery of quality services.

3.4.1 Subnational malaria stratification Malaria stratification is the process of classification of geographical areas or localities according to epidemiological, health system, ecological, social and economic determinants of malaria for planning, monitoring progress and guiding interventions. The benefits of stratification include:

• tracking progress against malaria and evaluating the impact of interventions;

• identifying and targeting the best mix of interventions for national strategic planning;

• efficient prioritization and quantification of resources, implementation of interventions to optimize impact of available resources.

To provide the relevant information needed for programmatic use the stratification analysis must be done at subnational level, preferably district (or equivalent) or lower levels. In elimination settings, stratification should be done at village level at a minimum, and at the focus level where possible.

Metrics for malaria stratification, therefore, cover a broad range of malaria related areas that directly or indirectly impact on malaria transmission, uncomplicated and severe disease, and/or death. These include:

• epidemiological: Plasmodium parasite prevalence, cases, malaria and all-cause under 5 mortality rate, Pf /Pv ratio, incidence;

• entomological: mosquito vector species, their abundance and behaviour, biting rates;

• interventions: type, distribution, coverage, efficacy (drug and insecticide resistance, hrp2 deletions);

• health system readiness: accessibility, timeliness, intensity and quality of service delivery, quality of surveillance systems and data;

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• ecological: climatic factors (altitude, temperature, rainfall), environmental (vegetation, agriculture, housing, urbanization, infrastructure etc.);

• human behaviour: use of interventions, seasonal migration and other behaviour related to risk of exposure and access to treatment;

• other contextual factors: socio-economic status, occupation, conflicts, location of refugees and internally displaced persons or other humanitarian emergencies.

Stratification using epidemiological metrics forms the foundation of most programmatic decisions, but countries should consider these metrics together with the others listed above for better decision making. Examples of epidemiological metrics, used often in moderate and high transmission areas are defined in Box 2, and include parasite prevalence from surveys, case incidence from routine data and mortality rate estimates. Often all-cause mortality in children under the age of five years may be more readily available than malaria-specific mortality in moderate and high transmission malaria countries. In elimination settings, case counts are the primary epidemiological metric used in combination with data on case classifications. Entomological parameters or historical epidemiological data could be used to define the malariogenic potential of an area. These metrics have strengths and limitations and their use is context dependent. Figure 5 a–d show examples of district level stratification using different types of epidemiological metrics and composite strata based on their combinations.

Box 2: Epidemiological metrics for malaria risk stratification

Parasite prevalence (PR)

Definition: Proportion of a specified population with patent malaria infection at one time

Measurement: Rapid diagnostic tests (RDTs) and / or microscopy

Data sources: household surveys, school surveys, ANC surveillance

Strengths: common and easy to measure, resonates more easily with programmes, indirect proxy of transmission

Weaknesses: infrequent surveys that are not designed for measuring parasite prevalence with high level of precision sub-nationally, relatively weak seasonal and temporal signal (except in ANC surveillance), large sample sizes required with decreasing transmission, most surveys restricted to specific age groups (u5), not as useful in measuring P. vivax prevalence due to diagnostic limitations. Surveys in a country may be implemented at different points in the high transmission season, complicating comparisons over time and leading to biased interpretations. Where microscopy is use, this may sometimes be of low quality.

Value addition: geospatial methods can be used to estimate prevalence at subnational units below the administrative level at which surveys were originally designed to be precise (8). Uncertainty in the estimates can be measured empirically. High uncertainty areas may be targeted for additional data collection. ANC surveillance data may combined with household survey prevalence data to improve the precision of PR estimates.

Clinical case counts and incidence

Definition: Number of newly diagnosed malaria cases. Case incidence refers to the number of such cases during a defined period in a specified population, usually measured as total number of clinical cases per 1000 person-years at risk.

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Measurement: Rapid diagnostic tests (RDTs) and / or microscopy

Data sources: passive and / or active surveillance of symptomatic individuals

Strengths: available from routine systems, strong temporal signal, usually covers all ages, common and easy to measure, resonates more easily with programmes, near direct measure of disease burden

Weaknesses: susceptible to quality of diagnosis and surveillance systems, strongly influenced by case definitions, health worker practices, treatment seeking and inconclusive case classifications

Value addition: in elimination settings, case counts combined with information on case classification (imported, introduced, indigenous) and entomological data can be used to quantify the malariogenic potential of an area. In burden reduction settings, geospatial methods can be used to reduce biases in surveillance systems and treatment seeking to develop subnational estimates.

Mortality (all cause and malaria specific)

Definition: All cause under 5 mortality rate is the number of children that die before their fifth birthday per 1000 live births. Estimates of malaria mortality among children under the age of 5 years would be more appropriate for the stratification process. However, accurately estimating malaria mortality, especially sub nationally, is difficult and highly uncertain.

Measurement: U5 mortality rate is defined through a model that relies on birth history information collected during household surveys, census data as well various mortality risk factors.

Data sources: household surveys such as DHS, MIS or MICs, vital registration data, routine information systems, census data and other sources (see Figure 5c).

Strengths: in moderate and high transmission settings, malaria is a significant contributor to deaths in children and to a lesser degree in pregnant women. Combining mortality, malaria prevalence and incidence estimates (see Figure 5d) can help in targeting malaria interventions designed to reduce mortality in these population subgroups. Data on malaria deaths from inpatient facilities are useful for the analysis of potential quality of care at hospitals and provide a useful signal in burden trends.

Weaknesses: given the weakness in surveillance, vital and civil registration systems in most moderate to high transmission malaria endemic countries, the main source of mortality data are household surveys, but these happen every 3 to 5 years and are therefore not helpful for routine responses. In addition, household surveys are usually powered to produce estimates at national or regional levels, yielding only imprecise estimates at district or lower levels, and therefore of limited value to inform the targeting of control efforts. Such data can be useful for malaria strategic planning, especially where malaria is a leading cause of death. In elimination settings, malaria deaths are very rare and their contribution to all-cause mortality is very small. Actual malaria death count is more informative than using all-cause mortality rate as a proxy.

Value addition: there are several statistical and geospatial methods that can be used to estimate mortality sub nationally with quantifiable measures of uncertainty. Triangulation of routine data on inpatient case fatality rates with periodic all-cause mortality estimates may provide useful insights.

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Figure 5: district a) maps of case incidence, b) P. falciparum parasite prevalence (PfPR), c) all-cause under five mortality rate and d) a composite index that combines the epidemiological metrics (See Box 2)

3.4.2 Malaria intervention mixes for policy optimization and prioritisation The impact of malaria interventions in an area is determined primarily by three factors:

• The pre-control baseline (see the Quick reference table): in general, the higher the malaria baseline in an area, the greater the fraction of the at-risk population that must be protected with control interventions to achieve a reduction in transmission to a specific threshold.

• The expected impact of specific interventions on transmission, which may vary by type of intervention and setting. For example, the effect of ITNs and IRS will be greater where the dominant malaria vector(s) is indoor-biting and indoor resting, respectively, than in places where outdoor-biting and outdoor-resting vectors predominate.

• The fraction of the at-risk population in the area that can be fully protected by effective control measures: the greater the fraction that is protected (or covered), the larger the reduction that can be expected. This will depend on available funding and efficiency of delivery channels, acceptability, compliance and other health system and human behavioural factors.

During the development of the national strategic plans and setting of goals, these factors should come into consideration, and the eventual intervention mix maps. To inform this process, countries are advised to use WHO recommendation on interventions as guide. There are instances, however, further adaptation of these recommendations is needed to fit with country context and achieve maximum impact, both during strategy development and during budgeting.

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A detailed summary of these recommendations and possible adaptations for inclusion in national strategic plans and resource prioritization is provided in the Quick reference table. An example using the targeting of LLINs (pyrethroid only and PBO) is shown in Table 2.

Table 2: WHO recommendations on LLINs (pyrethroid only and PBOs), and possible considerations countries can make to adapt the recommendations to their national context

INTERVENTION TYPE

CURRENT RECOMMENDATION FOR

INTERVENTION TARGETING

POLICY ADAPTATION CONSIDERATIONS FOR INTERVENTION TARGETING

Insecticide treated nets (ITNs)

ITNs prequalified by WHO are recommended for deployment as a core intervention in all malaria-endemic settings

Universal coverage* with effective vector control using a core intervention (ITNs or IRS) is recommended for all populations at risk of malaria in most epidemiological and ecological settings. The population at risk of malaria may increase or decrease because of changes in malariogenic potential of a given geographical area

In areas of very low receptivity, LLINs may not have substantial impact, and resource optimization should take this into account.

Such areas may include those of historically very low/no transmission such as those where climatic factors are not optimal for malaria transmission. They may also include certain urbanized areas where the environment has been modified through construction and other forms of land cover such that there is low potential for transmission.

PBO (piperonyl butoxide) ITNs

Pyrethroid-PBO nets prequalified by WHO are conditionally recommended for deployment instead of pyrethroid-only ITNs where the principal malaria vector(s) exhibit pyrethroid resistance that is: a) confirmed, b) of intermediate level, and c) conferred (at least in part) by a monooxygenase-based resistance mechanism, as determined by standard procedures

Preferred choice over pyrethroid-only nets if this will not compromise coverage

* Universal coverage is defined as access to and use of appropriate interventions by the entire population at risk of malaria. For country adaptation considerations should be made regarding the interventions that are most appropriate given the intrinsic as well current levels of risk.

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An example of a subnational intervention mix map for a national strategic plan is shown Figure 6 that is linked to the maps provided shown in Figure 5 and linked to considerations presented the Quick reference table.

Figure 6: An example of intervention mix map by district based on the epidemiological metrics shown in Box 2, as well as other indicators and policy adaptations described in the Quick reference table. CM= case management; IPTp = intermittent preventive treatment during pregnancy; IRS = indoor residual spraying; LLINS = long lasting insecticidal nets; PBO-LLINs = piperonyl butoxide LLINs; SMC = seasonal malaria chemoprevention.

National malaria reduction goals outlined in national strategic plans (NSPs) are usually developed in expectation that all resources required to achieve them will be available to the country. Usually, however, countries have far less funding than they need to achieve their NSP goals and some of the optimum mix of interventions may not be implemented or the levels of coverage required may not be achievable. This requires tailored, flexible and dynamic subnational prioritization of the limited resources to achieve the greatest impact and value for money. High levels of efficiency in service delivery are also required to ensure the expected levels of coverage commensurate to the investment in interventions is achieved.

The basis of further analysis of prioritization should the intervention mixes presented in the national strategic plan (for example Figure 6) and the policy adaptation principles described in the Quick reference table. These mixes are further analysed, using techniques such as mathematical dynamic models, to determine the affordable mixes and levels that will give you the best possible impact for available resources. Figure 7 demonstrates some of the possible scenarios that could result from optimizing of intervention mixes during NSP prioritization of resources during budgeting processes. These analyses require subnational stratification and transmission dynamic modelling. The WHO and national partners can provide support to implement these types of analyses.

Figure 7: Possible future scenarios depending on national strategic plans and resource availability

Past interventions withdrawn

Past interventions coverage reduced and not substitu-ted for equally or more efficacious ones

Past interventions and coverage maintained without further optimization

Past and new interventions and coverage prioritized within available resources to ensure maximum return on investment

Past and new interventions and coverage optimized for new NSP goals in expectation al resources will be available Time

Mal

aria

bur

den

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An example of a subnational intervention mix map for a national strategic plan is shown Figure 6 that is linked to the maps provided shown in Figure 5 and linked to considerations presented the Quick reference table.

Figure 6: An example of intervention mix map by district based on the epidemiological metrics shown in Box 2, as well as other indicators and policy adaptations described in the Quick reference table. CM= case management; IPTp = intermittent preventive treatment during pregnancy; IRS = indoor residual spraying; LLINS = long lasting insecticidal nets; PBO-LLINs = piperonyl butoxide LLINs; SMC = seasonal malaria chemoprevention.

National malaria reduction goals outlined in national strategic plans (NSPs) are usually developed in expectation that all resources required to achieve them will be available to the country. Usually, however, countries have far less funding than they need to achieve their NSP goals and some of the optimum mix of interventions may not be implemented or the levels of coverage required may not be achievable. This requires tailored, flexible and dynamic subnational prioritization of the limited resources to achieve the greatest impact and value for money. High levels of efficiency in service delivery are also required to ensure the expected levels of coverage commensurate to the investment in interventions is achieved.

The basis of further analysis of prioritization should the intervention mixes presented in the national strategic plan (for example Figure 6) and the policy adaptation principles described in the Quick reference table. These mixes are further analysed, using techniques such as mathematical dynamic models, to determine the affordable mixes and levels that will give you the best possible impact for available resources. Figure 7 demonstrates some of the possible scenarios that could result from optimizing of intervention mixes during NSP prioritization of resources during budgeting processes. These analyses require subnational stratification and transmission dynamic modelling. The WHO and national partners can provide support to implement these types of analyses.

Figure 7: Possible future scenarios depending on national strategic plans and resource availability

Table 3: Malaria strategic information components and activities for considerations in the funding requests and other funding sources

WORK AREA ELEMENTS FOR BUDGETING

Surveillance system • Standardising malaria indicators using WHO recommended standard DHIS2 module installations

• Internet connectivity• Software and hardware• Maintenance• Supervision• Technical assistance• Surveillance assessments

2.5 Subnational operational plans and monitoring and evaluationDeveloping detailed annual district operational plans, implemented and monitored by staff at the district level is key to effective intervention implementation. These district operational plans need a monitoring framework in line with the WHO recommended monitoring and evaluation approach presented in Figure 8. Strong surveillance systems and ancillary data from other sources are crucial for effective planning and implementation. Such data should, where possible, in structured databases (for example national data repositories, section 2.3). During strategic planning, a strong monitoring and evaluation framework as well as annual operational plans nested within wider ministry of health processes should be developed. This will require investment in capacity at national and subnational levels. Examples of areas countries can consider for funding are presented in Table 3.

Figure 8: Malaria monitoring and evaluation framework: from input to impact

ACT, artemisinin-based combination therapy; RDT, rapid diagnostic test; LLIN, long-lasting insecticidal net

Implementation (supply) Results (supply and demand)

Inputs Process Outputs Outcomes Impact

Financial, human,

information and other resources

mobilized to support

activities.

Budgets, staffing, health facilities, medicines and

other resources.

Reduction in, e.g. cases of severe

malaria, deaths from malaria.

Analysis of surveillance,

surveys, census and other

contextual data to measure outcomes.

Use of outputs by targeted population, e.g. people

with suspected malaria receive a diagnostic test or sleep under LLINs.

Programme, surveillance,

surveys and census data to measure

outcomes.

Services resulting from converting

inputs into outputs, e.g. RDTs,

ACTs, LLINs, surveillance, staff.

Goods and services

produced and delivered by main

implementing agency and

partners.

Action or work to convert

inputs into outputs.

Delivery of supplies, staff

training, supervision,

logistics management

systems.

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WORK AREA ELEMENTS FOR BUDGETING

National data repository • Installation of WHO recommended or similar repository modules

• Linking to HMIS• Assembly of non-routine data on structured templates and

linkages to repository• Development of relevant analysis dashboards• National and subnational installations• National and subnational training• Software and hardware• Maintenance• Technical assistance

Progress reviews • MPRs• MTRs• Impact evaluations• Annual reviews• Technical assistance

Stratification and intervention mix analysis for NSP, resource prioritization

• Assembly of data needed for stratification• Technical assistance for stratification• Technical assistance for intervention mix analysis

Subnational operation planning

• Technical assistance to develop subnational operational plans• Training in development, use and monitoring operational

plans• National and district level review meetings

Subnational monitoring and evaluation

• MIS and other relevant household surveys• Health facility readiness and epidemiological surveys• Surveillance assessments• Entomological surveillance• Efficacy studies• Priority implementation and operational research

Elimination • Malaria elimination training for districts and health facilities• Case-based surveillance• Case investigations• Focus investigations• Focus response activities• Active case detection for high-risk populations• Entomologic surveillance• Surveillance assessments• Malaria elimination audits• Cross-border meetings at district level

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3. MALARIA VECTOR CONTROL INCLUDING INSECTICIDE RESISTANCE

VECTOR CONTROL FOR MALARIA BURDEN REDUCTION AND ELIMINATION

• Universal coverage with effective vector control using a core intervention (ITNs or IRS) is recommended for all populations at risk of malaria in most epidemiological and ecological settings. The population at risk of malaria may increase or decrease as a result of changes in malariogenic potential of a given geographical area.Good practice statement

• Priority should be given to delivering either ITNs or IRS at high coverage and to a high standard, rather than introducing the second intervention as a means to compensate for deficiencies in the implementation of the first intervention.Conditional recommendation against combining the core interventions to reduce morbidity and mortality, moderate-certainty evidence

• Once high coverage with one core intervention has been achieved, programmes may consider deploying the other core intervention as an approach to prevent, manage and mitigate insecticide resistance. The ITN and IRS products selected for co-deployment must not contain the same insecticide class(es). For instance, IRS with a pyrethroid should not be deployed in the same households or areas as ITNs.Good practice statement

• Once high coverage with a core intervention has been achieved, recommended supplementary interventions with proven public health value may be deployed in specific settings and circumstances.Good practice statement

• In areas with ongoing local malaria transmission (irrespective of both the pre-intervention and current level of transmission), vector control interventions should not be scaled back. Universal coverage with effective malaria vector control of all inhabitants of such areas should be pursued and maintained.Good practice statement

• In areas where transmission has been interrupted, the scale-back of vector control should be based on a detailed analysis that includes assessment of the receptivity and vulnerability2, active disease surveillance system, and capacity for case management and vector control response.Good practice statement

2 Vulnerability means risk of malaria case importation.

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INSECTICIDE-TREATED NETS

• Pyrethroid-only LLINs prequalified by WHO are recommended for deployment as a core intervention in all malaria-endemic settings.Strong recommendation as an intervention with public health value, high-certainty evidence

• Pyrethroid-PBO nets prequalified by WHO are conditionally recommended for deployment instead of pyrethroid-only ITNs where the principal malaria vector(s) exhibit pyrethroid resistance that is: a) confirmed, b) of intermediate level, and c) conferred (at least in part) by a monooxygenase-based resistance mechanism, as determined by standard procedures.3

Conditional recommendation as an intervention with public health value, moderate-certainty evidence

• Recipients of ITNs should be advised (through appropriate communication strategies) to continue using their nets beyond the 3-year expected lifespan of the net, irrespective of the condition of the net, until a replacement net is available.Good practice statement

• Recipients of ITNs should be advised (through appropriate communication strategies) to continue using their net even if it is damaged or contains holes, irrespective of the age of the net, until a replacement net is available. Recipients of ITNs should be advised (through appropriate communication strategies) not to dispose of their nets in any water body, as the residual insecticide on the net can be toxic to aquatic organisms (especially fish).Good practice statement

• Old ITNs should only be collected where there is assurance that: i) communities are not left uncovered, i.e. new ITNs are distributed to replace old ones; and ii) there is a suitable and sustainable plan in place for safe disposal of the collected material.Good practice statement

• If ITNs and their packaging (bags and baling materials) are collected, the best option for disposal is high-temperature incineration. They should not be burned in the open air. In the absence of appropriate facilities, they should be buried away from water sources and preferably in nonpermeable soil.Good practice statement

INDOOR RESIDUAL SPRAYING

• IRS deploying a product prequalified by WHO is recommended as a core intervention in all malaria-endemic settings.4

Strong recommendation as an intervention with public health value, low-certainty evidence

LARVICIDING

• The regular application of biological or chemical insecticides to water bodies (larviciding) is recommended as a supplementary intervention in areas where high coverage with a core intervention has been achieved, where aquatic habitats of the principal malaria vector(s) are few, fixed and findable, and where its application is both feasible and cost-effective.Conditional recommendation as an intervention with public health value, low-certainty evidence

3 Given data constraints at district and province level, WHO has provided a simplified overview of areas eligible for deployment of pyrethroid-PBO nets on page 74 of the World malaria report 2019. Given the resource constraints of national malaria programmes and supply constraints for pyrethroid-PBO nets, further prioritization will be required to target any pyrethroid-PBO nets within the country. WHO recommends that within eligible areas, those with the highest malaria burden are prioritized.

4 DDT has not been prequalified; it may be used for IRS if no equally effective and efficient alternative is available, and if it is used in line with the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants.

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TOPICAL REPELLENTS

• Deployment of topical repellents is not recommended as a public health intervention; however, topical repellents may be beneficial as an intervention to provide personal protection.Conditional recommendation against deployment as an intervention with public health value, low-certainty evidence

INSECTICIDE-TREATED CLOTHING

• Use of insecticide-treated clothing is not recommended as a public health intervention; however, insecticide-treated clothing may be beneficial as an intervention to provide personal protection in specific population groups.Conditional recommendation against deployment as an intervention with public health value, low-certainty evidence

SPACE SPRAYING

• Space spraying should not be undertaken for malaria control, and IRS or ITNs should be prioritized instead.Conditional recommendation against deployment, very low-certainty evidence

Vector control is a vital component of malaria control and elimination strategies. It is effective in preventing infection and reducing disease transmission. The two core interventions for malaria vector control are insecticide-treated nets (ITNs) and indoor residual spraying (IRS). In specific settings, and under special circumstances, these core interventions can be supplemented by larval source management and personal protection measures. WHO recommends that either ITNs or IRS are deployed at the highest possible coverage achievable in a given target population.

ITNs should, whenever possible, be provided in sufficient numbers to cover everyone at risk. ITNs recommended and prequalified by WHO should be procured.

IRS should be deployed with the aim of covering at least 80% of premises in target communities. IRS is effective for a number of months: usually three to six months, but occasionally up to nine months, depending on the insecticide that is used, the type of surface sprayed. Please consult the list of WHO recommended and prequalified insecticides for IRS (https://www.who.int/pq-vector-control/prequalified-lists/en/).

3.1 Implementation of ITNs• To achieve and maintain high levels of coverage, countries should apply a

combination of mass free distributions and continuous distributions through multiple channels, in particular antenatal and immunisation services. Continuous distribution channels should be functional before, during and after mass distribution campaigns to avoid any coverage gaps.

• Mass campaigns are a cost-effective way to rapidly achieve high and equitable coverage, but coverage gaps start to appear almost immediately post-campaign through net deterioration, loss of nets, population growth and movements, requiring complementary continuous distribution channels. Continuous distribution strategies are needed to avoid gaps in ITN coverage.

• Mass campaigns should distribute one ITN for every two persons at risk of malaria. However, for procurement purposes since many households have an odd number of

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members, the calculation needs to be adjusted when quantifying at the population level. A ratio of 1 ITN for every 1.8 persons in the target population should be used to estimate ITN requirements, unless data to inform a different quantification ratio are available. In places where the most recent population census is more than five years old, countries can consider including a buffer (e.g. adding 10% after the 1.8 ratio has been applied) or using data from previous ITN campaigns to justify an alternative buffer amount.

• In most contexts, ITNs tend to be less logistically demanding than other forms of malaria vector control. However, as mosquito nets are bulky, special attention must be given to storage and transport to peripheral target communities. When planning ITN campaigns, due attention should be given to the time required for procurement, storage and transport, so that ITNs can be made available, when and where needed, in sufficient numbers.

• Campaigns should normally be repeated every three years, unless available empirical evidence justifies the use of a longer or shorter interval between campaigns. In addition to these data-driven decisions, a shorter distribution interval may also be justified during humanitarian emergencies, as the resulting increase in population movement may leave populations uncovered by vector control and potentially increase their risk of infection as well as the risk of epidemics.

• ITNs should be free at the point of delivery or, in the case of private sector distribution channels, highly subsidized and should be available in the immediate proximity of target communities, without any gap in the supply chain.

• Data on insecticide resistance must be collected in the target area to inform product choice. In settings with documented pyrethroid resistance, pyrethroid-PBO nets should be considered for deployment instead of pyrethroid-only ITNs, given evidence of improved epidemiological impact.

3.2 Conditions for implementation of IRS• IRS implementation relies on the availability of operational national vector control

services with adequate human, financial and logistical resources (including skilled spray teams, storage and transport facilities, spraying equipment, etc.). As consecutive rounds of IRS are usually required to achieve and sustain the full potential of this intervention, adoption of IRS requires long-term (multi-year) political and financial commitment by national programmes, local authorities, and funding partners.

• IRS should not be planned unless full capacity for implementation, monitoring and evaluation is in place at national, provincial and district levels.

• IRS planning must be based on accurate entomological and epidemiological information: identification and bio-ecology of vectors with special reference to their feeding and resting behaviours, dynamics of transmission (rhythm and intensity), and incidence and prevalence of malaria (morbidity and overall mortality).

• Data on insecticide resistance must be collected in the target area, before and after the spraying operation. In any vector control operation using insecticides, the responsibility for ensuring the adequacy and quality of this data rests with the main implementation agency responsible for the intervention.

• Insecticide choice for IRS should follow the national policy on insecticide resistance management (see section 3.1 of the Guidelines for malaria vector control (9)).

• The procurement decision must consider all relevant data on insecticide resistance, within and near to the target area. The decision should be consistent with and checked against national resistance management policies. The process of assembling the data and choosing an insecticide must be done early in the planning process, since

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procurement delays are a common operational problem in many vector control programmes.

• The number, nature and location of premises to be sprayed, as well as access to these, must be determined through geographical reconnaissance prior to decision-making and planning.

3.3 Target areas for malaria vector control Both IRS and ITNs can be used in a range of epidemiological settings. The choice of which intervention to use should be guided by operational and financial considerations, most importantly the insecticide resistance profile of the main malaria vector(s) in the target area, while targeting should be informed by an in-depth stratification of the country. For urban areas it is recommended that microstratification is conducted to identify whether there are urban areas with ongoing malaria transmission; areas with very low transmission and not at continuing risk should not be targeted with IRS or LLINs. For example, populations at high risk, low ITN coverage and/or poor access to curative health services (often in peri-urban areas) should be prioritised over those with historically low risk and good access to diagnostic and curative services, often in more central urban areas (see also section 3.7).

4.3.1 ITNs are indicated as an intervention in most situations, especially the following:

Epidemiological factors

• in a wide range of transmission conditions where long-term protection is needed;

• in areas with a relatively long season of malaria transmission, or perennial transmission, such that more than one IRS cycle would be required;

• in areas where IRS cannot be used and only personal protection can be achieved (e.g. forest malaria or among nomadic populations).

Socioeconomic factors

• In places where IRS may face problems of acceptability.

Access and programmatic factors

• In areas where continuous ITN distribution can easily be integrated into existing health systems such as routine EPI and/or ANC;

• in areas where the specialized skills and programme infrastructure needed for IRS have not (yet) been developed, an ITN distribution campaign can rapidly achieve high levels of coverage;

• to protect hard-to-reach populations, where repeated IRS spray-cycles are not feasible (a one-time distribution of ITNs can provide relatively long-term protection, compared to the shorter-duration of protection given by one IRS spray cycle);

In every country, a variety of local situations and eco-epidemiological settings are encountered. Therefore, it may well be justifiable to use ITNs in some settings and IRS in others as part of the stratification, optimisation and prioritisation process described in section 2.

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4.3.2 IRS is best indicated in the following conditions:Epidemiological factors

• to respond to malaria epidemics or malaria cases in elimination settings, provided that insecticide and spray equipment are readily available in country or can quickly be procured and delivered; IRS may be deployed more rapidly than ITNs and is thus often the first line intervention for interrupting an epidemic;

• to control malaria in humanitarian emergencies (e.g. displaced populations and refugee settings, climatic events, etc.) where there are structures that are suitable for IRS application;

• to prevent transmission in epidemic prone areas and in areas with low seasonal transmission (e.g. highlands, fringes). Both IRS and ITNs can be used in epidemic prone areas as preventive measures.

• to cut-off well identified peaks of seasonal transmission;

• to interrupt transmission in residual foci at the end of the elimination phase;

Access and programmatic factors

• access to target communities should be possible, including during the rainy transmission season when multiple spray rounds are required;

• a pre-requisite for IRS deployment, is the availability of the programmatic capacity (planning, logistics and supervision) necessary to ensure an IRS operation of adequate quality.

IRS is contra-indicated when conditions for effective implementation are not met or where there are no structures to spray (e.g. nomadic populations, forest malaria) or where the local vectors are strongly exophilic (i.e. tend to rest outdoors, respectively).

4.3.3 Should IRS and ITNs be combined?Priority should be given to delivering either ITNs or IRS at high coverage and to a high standard, rather than introducing the second intervention as a means to compensate for deficiencies in the implementation of the first intervention. However, the deployment of both ITNs and IRS in the same geographical area may be considered for resistance prevention, mitigation or management. Given the resource constraints across malaria endemic countries, the deployment of a second core vector control intervention on top of high coverage with an existing core vector control intervention should only be considered as part of a broader prioritization analysis aimed at achieving maximum impact with the available resources. In many settings, a switch from one to the other core intervention, rather than their co-deployment, is likely to be the only financially feasible option.

1. In settings with high ITN coverage where these remain effective, IRS may have limited utility in reducing malaria morbidity and mortality. However, IRS may be implemented as part of an insecticide resistance management (IRM) strategy in areas where there are ITNs.

2. If ITNs and IRS are to be deployed together in the same geographical location, IRS should be conducted with a non-pyrethroid insecticide.

3. Evidence is needed to determine the effectiveness of combining IRS and ITNs in different eco-epidemiological settings outside Africa.

4. All programmes in any transmission setting that decide to prioritize the combined deployment of ITNs and IRS over other potential use of their financial resources should include a rigorous programme of monitoring and evaluation in order to

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confirm whether the additional inputs are having the desired impact. Countries that are already using both interventions should similarly undertake an evaluation of the effectiveness of the combination versus either ITNs or IRS alone.

3.4 Resistance managementWidespread and increasing insecticide resistance poses a threat to effective malaria vector control. Failure to prevent, mitigate and manage insecticide resistance is likely to eventually result in an increased burden of disease, potentially reversing some of the substantial gains made in controlling malaria over the last decade.

To date, there is no evidence of operational failure of vector control programmes as a direct result of pyrethroid resistance. Based on past experience, however, it is likely that operational failure will eventually occur if effective IRM strategies are not designed and implemented in line with the resistance management strategies outlined in the Global plan for insecticide resistance management in malaria vectors (GPIRM) in 2012 (10).

The GPIRM defines key technical principles for addressing insecticide resistance, as follows:

• Insecticides should be deployed with care and deliberation in order to reduce unnecessary selection pressure. Countries should consider whether they are using insecticides judiciously, carefully and with discrimination, and if there is a clear epidemiological benefit.

• Vector control programmes should avoid using a single class of insecticide everywhere and over consecutive years; instead, they should use rotations, mosaics, combinations of interventions, and mixtures (once available).

• Wherever possible, vector control programmes implementing IRS should diversify from pyrethroids in order to preserve their effectiveness. Although pyrethroids will continue to be used for ITNs in the near term, they should not generally be deployed for IRS in areas with ITNs.

• IRM principles and methods should be incorporated into all vector control programmes, not as an option, but as a core component of programme design.

• The agricultural sector should try to avoid using classes of insecticide that are widely used for public health and should collaborate with vector control authorities in an intersectoral approach.

• Routine monitoring of insecticide resistance is essential to sustain the effectiveness of vector control interventions.

• The short-term additional costs of IRM should be balanced against the long-term potential public health impact and potential costs of insecticide resistance.

More detailed guidance on how to prevent, mitigate and manage insecticide resistance in malaria vectors is provided in section 3.1 of the Guidelines for malaria vector control (9).

3.5 ITN usage• Consistent ITN usage is essential for the success of ITN interventions: ITNs are effective

when people use and maintain them properly. Regular information and advocacy campaigns are therefore needed to ensure their effective use. Evidence suggests that about 90% of the population with access to a mosquito net actually use it. In areas where ITN use is identified as being lower, WHO recommends the roll-out of behaviour-change communication programmes, including information, education and communication (IEC) campaigns.

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• Some ITN distribution campaigns have successfully used follow-up field operations to support and promote use of nets after a campaign. There is some evidence to suggest that the promotion of net repair activities (sewing in order to close holes) may be useful.

3.6 Timing and sustaining coverage

Timing in IRS operations is essential Because of the generally short duration of efficacy of most insecticides when sprayed on walls, IRS campaigns must be completed just before the onset of the transmission season. In addition, insecticide efficacy must be maintained throughout the whole transmission season. Depending on the duration of this season, the choice of insecticide and the surfaces sprayed, one or two spray cycles per year may be required. Large-scale implementation requiring more than two spray cycles per year, (e.g. in perennial transmission areas) is very difficult to achieve in most situations, because of factors such as logistics, cost and social acceptability.

In epidemic prone areas, IRS should be considered an intermittent intervention, and spray cycles should be planned based on accurate entomological, epidemiological and climate surveillance systems involving specialized vector control services. IRS can also be deployed as part of an epidemic response, or in response to cases in an elimination setting.

3.7 Budget considerations For all procurement of vector control products (ITNs and insecticides), pre-and post-shipment testing for quality control should be mandatory.

3.7.1 ITNs• In planning for procurement quantities, the aim should be to distribute enough ITNs to

achieve 100% coverage, with one net for two people. There must be a clear plan as to how this is to be achieved at household level. A good way to do this is to give nets to households at the rate of one net for every two household members, rounding up in households with odd numbers of members. The procurement ratio must be adjusted to allow for this rounding up, and this implies a procurement ratio of 550 ITNs for 1000 population, or one net for 1.8 people, in a population with a mean household size of five. Note that these figures have been adjusted in the light of practical experience following previous Global Fund rounds.

• Logistics and funds for the supply, management, storage and distribution of ITNs must be in place, such that the nets are not kept in warehouses at central level or are inaccessible to target populations. Opportunities to give a greater role to manufacturers and/or procurement agents to deliver ITNs up to destination, e.g. district level should be explored.

• Adequate and efficient planning of distribution methods (e.g. through ANC clinics, integrated with immunization campaigns, etc.) is key to ensuring that feasible targets are set and achieved. It is recommended that funds for these activities be included in the proposal. For proposals where this is not the case, there should be a clear explanation as to the source of funds for these activities.

• Education, communication materials and campaign activities to improve the use and proper maintenance of ITNs should be included in the budget.

• Funds for insecticide resistance monitoring and for proper monitoring of effective biological activity and physical durability of ITNs should be included in the budget.

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3.7.2 IRSBudgets for IRS programmes must include the following elements:

• Purchase of sufficient amounts of an effective insecticide, as well as adjunct commodities (e.g. spray pumps, protective equipment for sprayers, etc.), while avoiding unnecessary stocks that might become obsolete;

• Recruitment, training and salaries for enough sprayers and supervisors to cover target areas prior to the transmission season;

• Logistics and funds for the supply, management, storage and distribution of the insecticide so that it is not kept in warehouses at central level. Transport costs for both the insecticide and sprayers must be incorporated in the proposal;

• Education and communication materials and campaign activities to sensitize communities to the importance of IRS, particularly where activities are employed for the first time or are being widely scaled-up;

• Insecticide resistance monitoring and proper monitoring of the insecticide residual duration on sprayed surfaces;

• Where IRS is being employed for the first time, initial geographical reconnaissance studies to determine target areas and structures as well as entomological studies to ensure selection of an effective insecticide.

Only limited data is available on the relative cost-effectiveness (CE) of IRS and ITNs, and this indicates that their relative cost-effectiveness depends on various biological and programmatic contextual factors. On the whole, it may be expected that ITNs will tend to be more cost-effective in locations where there is more than six months of transmission per year.

3.8 Monitoring & evaluation• For both IRS and ITNs, specialized teams are required to conduct entomological

surveillance and vector control monitoring and evaluation activities. The entomological skills needed for this work must be maintained and strengthened if they are lacking.

• Routine entomological surveillance and monitoring of vector control must include insecticide resistance testing in multiple locations. Further entomological surveillance activities are context dependent and should be guided by the latest surveillance guidance, as provided in the WHO Malaria surveillance, monitoring & evaluation: a reference manual (6).

• Programmes should be prepared to carry out immediate entomological investigations in response to reports of any unexpected variations in impact, or any local increase in cases that is larger than would normally be expected for that season. The aim of the investigations is to establish whether this increase is likely to be due to changes in coverage of vector control interventions, or to insecticide resistance, or to a combination of these or other factors.

• ITN coverage (ownership and usage) should be reported through routine records of delivery operations and should also be estimated through standard household survey methods, such as the Malaria Indicator Survey (MIS). IRS coverage should be reported through the collation of household spray records kept by spray teams and supervisors and should also be checked or separately estimated through follow-up household surveys.

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4. PREVENTIVE CHEMOTHERAPIES

INTERMITTENT PREVENTIVE TREATMENT IN PREGNANCY

• In malaria-endemic areas in Africa, provide intermittent preventive treatment with SP to all women in their first or second pregnancy (SP-IPTp) as part of antenatal care. Dosing should start in the second trimester and doses should be given at least 1 month apart, with the objective of ensuring that at least three doses are received.Strong recommendation, high-quality evidence

INTERMITTENT PREVENTIVE TREATMENT IN INFANTS

• In areas of moderate-to-high malaria transmission of Africa, where SP is still effective, provide intermittent preventive treatment with SP to infants (< 12 months of age) (SP-IPTi) at the time of the second and third rounds of vaccination against diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis (DTP) and vaccination against measles.Strong recommendation

SEASONAL MALARIA CHEMOPREVENTION

• In areas with highly seasonal malaria transmission in the sub-Sahel region of Africa, provide seasonal malaria chemoprevention (SMC) with monthly amodiaquine + SP for all children aged < 6 years during each transmission season.Strong recommendation, high-quality evidence

The preventive chemotherapies target people who suffer the greatest burden of malaria - pregnant women and children. Strong collaboration between Malaria Programmes and Maternal, Newborn and Child Health (MNCH) services is needed to maximise the potential of these strategies.

Stronger collaborations between the programmes provide an opportunity not only to scale up malaria interventions but also to strengthen the health systems that will impact on maternal and child survival.

4.1 Intermittent preventive treatment in pregnancyAround 38 million pregnancies occur in moderate to high transmission countries in Africa each year and up to 11 million are exposed to malaria leading to 90 000 low birth weight children. Women in their first and second pregnancies have greater risk of malaria. Non-immune pregnant women are also at risk of acute and severe clinical disease, in addition to miscarriage and premature labour. All pregnancies, not only the first and second, are at high risk of malaria and its complications, even more so HIV-infected pregnant women.

4.1.1. Key policy issuesWHO recommends that all endemic countries provide a package of interventions for the prevention and management of malaria in pregnancy, consisting of (i) early diagnostic testing and effective treatment for all episodes of clinical disease and anaemia (see sections on diagnosis and treatment) and (ii) prevention of malaria either with LLINs or IRS (see section on vector control). The above strategies should be complemented by (iii) intermittent preventive treatment with sulfadoxine–pyrimethamine (IPTp-SP) in countries in sub-Saharan Africa with stable malaria transmission.

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All pregnant women at risk of P. falciparum infection in countries in sub-Saharan Africa with moderate to high malaria transmission should receive at least three doses of SP as IPT through their pregnancy, with individual doses given at least one month apart. The first does should be given as early as possible in the 2nd trimester (i.e. week 13); the last dose of IPTp-SP can be administered up to the time of delivery without safety concerns. IPT-SP should be taken as direct observation treatment (DOT) during the ANC visit (11). With the 2016 WHO recommendations on antenatal care for a positive pregnancy experience, the recommended at least eight contacts increases the number of opportunities to give at least three doses of IPTp-SP to the pregnant women (12).

4.1.2. Considerations and caveats for implementation • SP should not be administered to women receiving co-trimoxazole prophylaxis due to

a higher risk of adverse events.

• WHO recommends the administration of folic acid at a dose of 0.4 mg daily; this dose may be safely used in conjunction with SP. Folic acid at a daily dose equal or above 5 mg should not be given together with SP as this counteracts its efficacy as an antimalarial drug.

• There is currently insufficient evidence to support a general recommendation for the use of IPTp-SP outside Africa.

4.1.3 Implementation issuesAntenatal clinics provide an excellent entry point for reaching pregnant women with interventions. Communication campaigns to increase the use of ANC services (especially early in pregnancy) for malaria control and other interventions for improving pregnancy outcomes are strongly recommended.

Strengthening ANC services for the delivery of effective interventions requires infrastructure development, human resource strengthening and capacity building for reproductive health staff. It also requires uninterrupted availability of commodities and supplies for malaria control. Quality service delivery requires laboratories appropriately equipped with diagnostics for basic maternal health tests and procedures, such as haemoglobinometers and RDTs. Strong partnerships between communities and facilities should promote improved access to all reproductive health services and be expected to improve maternal and newborn health outcomes.

In addition, prompt diagnosis and effective, safe treatment for malaria and anaemia in pregnancy (suitable antimalarials, training on case management) should be made available close to home through peripheral health services.

Routine distribution of LLINs to pregnant women should occur through ANCs, supplemented by regular campaigns of free distribution to the entire population. The nets should be handed out during the very first ANC visit, together with clear instructions on their use during pregnancy, breastfeeding period and beyond to not only protect the mother but also the newborn. This requires proper procurement, planning and budgeting for the delivery, storage and distribution of nets within ANC facilities, and systems for reporting and accountability.

4.1.4 Exploiting linkages to improve the delivery of malaria specific interventions and the health outcomes of all pregnant women and their unborn children

Integrated delivery of health care entails incorporating prompt malaria diagnostic testing, effective treatment and timely referral into general health services. The development of strategies and resource allocation plans should be done in coordination with other relevant departments of the ministries of health. ANC services are now accessible to the majority of

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pregnant women, as high as 90% in some countries; therefore delivering interventions like LLINs and IPTp via ANC services could attract pregnant women to other ANC services, such as delivery assisted by skilled birth attendant.

Using malaria in pregnancy to strengthen maternal and child health services will not only reduce the burden of malaria during pregnancy but will also improve maternal and child health outcomes.

4.1.5 Issues to be considered in the development of funding proposalsA comprehensive approach is needed to reduce the burden and consequences of malaria during pregnancy. This includes a full range of interventions within ANC services to be included with adequate budget in Global Fund malaria proposals. Support for capacity building to improve quality of care, including resources for staff training and supervision, should be part of the Global Fund proposal. Specific items to be consider include:

• Medicines for IPTp (i.e. sulfadoxine- pyrimethamine): Enough doses to cover the whole pregnant population, which is calculated at about 5% of the total population times at least three doses of SP (three tablets per dose) per pregnant woman.

• Diagnostic testing: RDTs including required ancillary items (such as gloves, sharps boxes for lancets, etc.).

• Antimalarial medicines for treatment of uncomplicated and severe malaria in pregnant women, according to national guidelines. An accurate estimation should be based on the national epidemiology and burden of disease. The first choice for severe malaria treatment should be injectable artesunate, rather than injectable artemether or injectable quinine.

• Supplies for diagnosis and treatment of anaemia in all pregnant women, including routine iron and folic acid supplementation.

• Supply, management, storage and distribution of LLINs through ANCs, including training of reproductive health care workers and provision of relevant counselling and communication materials and skills.

• Logistics for timely distribution of medicines and commodities to facilities, and specifically to ANC clinics throughout the country, so that they are not kept in warehouses at central level or in stores at facility level to which ANC staff have no access.

• Education and behaviour change communication materials and campaign activities that target communities and providers to improve the use of IPTp and ANC services, including the delivery with a skilled birth attendant, for malaria and other interventions for improving pregnancy outcomes.

• Strengthening the capacity of reproductive health workers and supervisors to deliver and support MIP interventions effectively. Such capacity building should not be isolated or vertical, but must be included in comprehensive capacity building plans for reproductive health departments, budgeted for and organized jointly with the national malaria control programmes.

• Strengthening existing health information systems for monitoring and evaluation purposes, and modifying ANC registers and cards to include indicators for malaria in pregnancy, particularly IPTp-SP3 and the recording of all ANC visits.

• Operational research to ensure effective programming for MIP and continued monitoring of the prevalence of molecular markers of SP resistance.

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• Pharmacovigilance should be supported to monitor the safety of medicines used for the prevention and treatment of malaria in pregnancy.

4.2 Intermittent preventive treatment in infancy (IPTi)Intermittent preventive treatment in infancy (IPTi) is defined as the administration of a full course of an effective antimalarial treatment at specified time points to infants at risk of malaria, regardless of whether they are parasitaemic, with the objective of reducing the infant malaria burden.

WHO recommended intermittent preventive treatment for infants (IPTi) living in areas of moderate-to-high malaria transmission where SP is still effective. SP is recommended for infants < 12 months of age at the time of the second and third rounds of vaccination against diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis (DTP), and vaccination against measles (13). This builds on the routine EPI programme to deliver malaria prevention strategies.

4.2.1 Considerations and caveats for implementation• In situations where national-scale implementation may not be appropriate, IPTi may

be implemented at provincial or district scales, informed by the stratification included in NSPs.

• Programmes implementing the SP-IPTi strategy should regularly monitor and evaluate the impact on immunization services and performance.

• Pharmacovigilance systems to monitor potentially serious adverse reactions to SP should be strengthened.

• Surveillance of molecular markers of SP resistance should accompany implementation of SP-IPTi to develop further understanding of the relationship between SP resistance and IPTi-SP effectiveness.

4.2.2 Contra-indicationsSP-IPTi should not be given to infants receiving a sulfa-based medication for treatment or prophylaxis, including co-trimoxazole (trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole), which is used as prophylaxis against opportunistic infections in HIV-infected infants.

IPTi should not be deployed in the areas already covered by SMC with amodiaquine plus sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine (AQ+SP).

4.2.3 Issues to be considered in the development of Global Fund proposalsAs with IPTp, Global Fund Malaria proposals should not focus only on funds for the procurement of SP, an inexpensive commodity, but also include other important costs. These include support for the delivery of the intervention through EPI programmes; support for capacity building of personnel to improve the quality of care, with resources for staff training and supervision. Specific items that should be included in the proposal and budget, include:

• medicines for IPTi (sulphadoxine pyrimethamine);

• logistics for distribution of medicines to facilities and specifically to EPI clinics throughout the country;

• education and communication materials, and campaign activities, to improve the use of EPI services and acceptance of IPTi;

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• strengthening the capacity of health workers to deliver IPTi through appropriate training and supervision;

• strengthening existing health information systems for monitoring and evaluation purposes, and modifying EPI and other health registers and cards to include indicators for IPTi and malaria in infancy;

• surveillance to ensure continued monitoring molecular markers of resistance to SP and of the protective effectiveness of IPTi-SP, as well as pharmacovigilance to monitor the safety of SP use in IPTi.

4.3 Seasonal malaria chemopreventionSeasonal malaria chemoprevention (SMC), is defined as the intermittent administration of full treatment courses of effective antimalarial medicines during the malaria season to prevent malarial illness. The objective of SMC is to maintain therapeutic antimalarial drug concentrations in the blood throughout the transmission season, which is the period of greatest malarial risk. SMC has been studied most frequently in areas with seasonal malaria transmission where the main burden of malaria is in children, rather than in infants, and the main risk of clinical malaria is restricted to a few months (3-4 months) each year. In these settings SMC has been shown to prevent approximately 75% of severe malaria episodes.

WHO recommends SMC with amodiaquine plus sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine (AQ+SP) given at monthly intervals during the malaria season to children aged 3–59 months in areas of highly seasonal malaria transmission (13). SMC has so far only been evaluated in the Sahel sub region in Africa. SMC has been implemented in settings where amodiaquine + sulfadoxine–pyrimethamine remains efficacious (> 90% efficacy) and has thus not been used in southern and eastern Africa, even though there are areas in those regions where the transmission pattern would suggest suitability. There is a lack of efficacy and safety data for other potential anti-malarial regimens for use in SMC.

An implementation manual for SMC developed by WHO-GMP was issued in December 2012 and an updated edition is being prepared (14).

4.3.1 Considerations and caveats for implementationThe following should be considered when determining the suitability of deploying SMC in any setting:

• malaria seasonality: SMC is recommended in highly seasonal malaria transmission settings;

• SMC is unlikely to be cost effective in settings where the clinical attack rate of malaria is less than 0.1 attack per transmission season in the target age group;

• efficacy of SP and AQ should be high (> 90% therapeutic efficacy in last available study results);

• pharmacovigilance systems are needed to monitor potentially serious adverse reactions;

• surveillance of molecular markers of SP and AQ should accompany the implementation of SMC.

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4.3.2 Contra-indicationsSMC with AQ+SP should not be given to children receiving a sulfa-based medication for treatment or prophylaxis, including co-trimoxazole (trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole), which is used as a prophylaxis against opportunistic infections in HIV-infected children.

SMC should not be given to children with an acute febrile illness, requiring instead early diagnosis and treatment for malaria

4.3.3 Issues to be considered in the development of funding proposalsAs with IPTp and IPTi, Global Fund malaria proposals should not focus only on the funding needed for the drugs (AQ+SP), which are the relatively inexpensive components of the strategy. Provision must also be made for the delivery of this intervention through community programmes. Support for capacity building of personnel for improving quality of care, with resources for staff training and supervision, should be part of the Global Fund proposal. Specific items to be included in the proposal and budget, include:

• medicines for SMC (AQ+SP);

• logistics for distribution of medicines to facilities and communities;

• education and communication materials and campaign activities to improve acceptability and use of SMC;

• strengthening the capacity of health workers/community health workers to deliver SMC through appropriate training and supervision;

• strengthening existing health information systems for monitoring and evaluation purposes, and ensuring registers and cards are available and used to include indicators for SMC and malaria in the target age group;

• continued monitoring of molecular markers of resistance to amodiaquine and SP, and protective effectiveness of SMC, as well as pharmacovigilance to monitor the safety of AQ-SP when used as SMC.

4.4 Mass drug administration (MDA)Based on a 2015 review of evidence, the WHO Malaria Policy Advisory Committee made the following recommendations on the role of MDA for malaria (15):

• Use of MDA to interrupt transmission of falciparum malaria may be considered in areas approaching elimination, provided there is good access to treatment, effective vector control measures and surveillance and minimal risk of re-introduction of infection.

• Given the threat of multidrug resistance, MDA may be considered a component malaria elimination efforts in the Greater Mekong sub region, in areas with good access to treatment, vector control and good surveillance.

• In the case of malaria epidemics, MDA can be an initial part of the containment measures to rapidly reduce malaria morbidity and mortality, along with the urgent introduction of other control measures.

• In exceptional complex emergencies when the health system is overwhelmed and unable to serve the health needs of the population, MDA may be considered to reduce malaria morbidity and mortality.

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• Mass primaquine prophylactic treatment, requiring pre-seasonal MDA with daily administration of primaquine for two weeks without glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) testing, is not recommended for the interruption of vivax transmission.

• With diagnostic tests currently available, mass screening and treatment (MSAT) and focal screening and treatment (FSAT) are not recommended interventions to interrupt malaria transmission.

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5. CASE MANAGEMENT (MALARIA DIAGNOSIS AND TREATMENT)

5.1 Malaria treatment

TREATING UNCOMPLICATED P. FALCIPARUM MALARIA

• Treat children and adults with uncomplicated P. falciparum malaria (except pregnant women in their first trimester) with one of the following recommended artemisinin-based combination therapies (ACT):

• artemether + lumefantrine

• artesunate + amodiaquine

• artesunate + mefloquine

• dihydroartemisinin + piperaquine

• artesunate + sulfadoxine–pyrimethamine (SP)

Strong recommendation, high-quality evidence

• artesunate + pyronaridine5

Duration of ACT treatment• ACT regimens should provide 3 days’ treatment with an artemisinin derivative.

Strong recommendation, high-quality evidence

Revised dose recommendation for dihydroartemisinin + piperaquine in young children• Children < 25kg treated with dihydroartemisinin + piperaquine should receive a minimum

of 2.5 mg/kg body weight (bw) per day of dihydroartemisinin and 20 mg/kg bw per day of piperaquine daily for 3 days.Strong recommendation based on pharmacokinetic modelling

Reducing the transmissibility of treated P. falciparum infections• In low-transmission areas, give a single dose of 0.25 mg/kg bw primaquine with ACT to

patients with P. falciparum malaria (except pregnant women, infants aged < 6 months and women breastfeeding infants aged < 6 months) to reduce transmission. Testing for glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) deficiency is not required.Strong recommendation, low-quality evidence

5 Artesunate pyronaridine is included in the WHO list of prequalified medicines for malaria, the Model List of Essential Medicines and the Model List of Medicines for Children. The drug has also received a positive scientific opinion from the European Medicines Agency and undergone a review by the WHO Advisory Committee on Safety of Medicinal Products and. Although it has not yet been through a formal guideline development process, countries can consider including this medicine in their national treatment guidelines. WHO’s position on the use of this drug for the treatment of malaria can be accessed in the publication (https://www.who.int/publications-detail/use-of-artesunate-pyronaridine-for-the-treatment-of-uncomplicated-malaria) which clarifies that artesunate pyronaridine can be considered a safe and efficacious ACT for the treatment of uncomplicated malaria in adults and children weighing 5 kg and over in all malaria-endemic areas.

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TREATING UNCOMPLICATED P. FALCIPARUM MALARIA IN SPECIAL RISK GROUPS

First trimester of pregnancy• Treat pregnant women with uncomplicated P. falciparum malaria during the first trimester

with 7 days of quinine + clindamycin.Strong recommendation

Infants less than 5kg body weight• Treat infants weighing < 5 kg with uncomplicated P. falciparum malaria with ACT at the same

mg/kg bw target dose as for children weighing 5 kg.Strong recommendation

Patients co-infected with HIV• In people who have HIV/AIDS and uncomplicated P. falciparum malaria, avoid artesunate +

SP if they are being treated with co-trimoxazole, and avoid artesunate + amodiaquine if they are being treated with efavirenz or zidovudine. Good practice statement

Non-immune travellers• Treat travellers with uncomplicated P. falciparum malaria returning to non-endemic settings

with ACT.Strong recommendation, high-quality evidence

Hyperparasitaemia• People with P. falciparum hyperparasitaemia are at increased risk for treatment failure,

severe malaria and death and should be closely monitored, in addition to receiving ACT.Good practice statement

TREATING UNCOMPLICATED P. VIVAX, P. OVALE, P. MALARIAE OR P. KNOWLESI MALARIA

Blood stage infection • If the malaria species is not known with certainty, treat as for uncomplicated P. falciparum

malaria.Good practice statement

• In areas with chloroquine-susceptible infections, treat adults and children with uncomplicated P. vivax, P. ovale, P. malariae or P. knowlesi malaria with either ACT (except pregnant women in their first trimester) or chloroquine.Strong recommendation, high-quality evidence

• In areas with chloroquine-resistant infections, treat adults and children with uncomplicated P. vivax, P. ovale, P. malariae or P. knowlesi malaria (except pregnant women in their first trimester) with ACT.Strong recommendation, high-quality evidence

• Treat pregnant women in their first trimester who have chloroquine-resistant P. vivax malaria with quinine.Strong recommendation, very low-quality evidence

PREVENTING RELAPSE IN P. VIVAX OR P. OVALE MALARIA

• The G6PD status of patients should be used to guide administration of primaquine for preventing relapse.Good practice statement

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• To prevent relapse, treat P. vivax or P. ovale malaria in children and adults (except pregnant women, infants aged < 6 months, women breastfeeding infants aged < 6 months, women breastfeeding older infants unless they are known not to be G6PD deficient, and people with G6PD deficiency) with a 14-day course of primaquine (0.25-0.5 mg/kg bw daily) in all transmission settings.Strong recommendation, high-quality evidence

• In people with G6PD deficiency, consider preventing relapse by giving primaquine base at 0.75 mg/kg bw once a week for 8 weeks, with close medical supervision for potential primaquine-induced haemolysis.Conditional recommendation, very low-quality evidence

• When G6PD status is unknown and G6PD testing is not available, a decision to prescribe primaquine must be based on an assessment of the risks and benefits of adding primaquine.Good practice statement

Pregnant and breastfeeding women• In women who are pregnant or breastfeeding, consider weekly chemoprophylaxis with

chloroquine until delivery and breastfeeding are completed, then, on the basis of G6PD status, treat with primaquine to prevent future relapse.Conditional recommendation, moderate-quality evidence

TREATING SEVERE MALARIA

• Treat adults and children with severe malaria (including infants, pregnant women in all trimesters and lactating women) with intravenous or intramuscular artesunate for at least 24 h and until they can tolerate oral medication. Once a patient has received at least 24 h of parenteral therapy and can tolerate oral therapy, complete treatment with 3 days of ACT.Strong recommendation, high-quality evidence

Revised dose recommendation for parenteral artesunate in young children• Children weighing < 20 kg should receive a higher dose of artesunate (3 mg/kg bw per dose)

than larger children and adults (2.4 mg/kg bw per dose) to ensure equivalent exposure to the drug.Strong recommendation based on pharmacokinetic modelling

Parenteral alternatives where artesunate is not available• If artesunate is not available, use artemether in preference to quinine for treating children and

adults with severe malaria.Conditional recommendation, low-quality evidence

TREATING CASES OF SUSPECTED SEVERE MALARIA PENDING TRANSFER TO A HIGHER- LEVEL FACILITY (PRE-REFERRAL TREATMENT)

Pre-referral treatment options• Where complete treatment of severe malaria is not possible but injections are available, give

adults and children a single intramuscular dose of artesunate, and refer to an appropriate facility for further care. Where intramuscular artesunate is not available use intramuscular artemether or, if that is not available, use intramuscular quinine.Strong recommendation, moderate-quality evidence

• Where intramuscular injection of artesunate is not available, treat children < 6 years with a single rectal dose (10mg/kg bw) of artesunate, and refer immediately to an appropriate facility for further care. Do not use rectal artesunate in older children and adults.Strong recommendation, moderate-quality evidence

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ANTIMALARIAL DRUG QUALITY

• National drug and regulatory authorities should ensure that the antimalarial medicines provided in both the public and the private sectors are of acceptable quality, through regulation, inspection and law enforcement.Good practice statement

MONITORING THE EFFICACY OF ANTIMALARIAL DRUGS

• All malaria programmes should regularly monitor the therapeutic efficacy of antimalarial drugs using the standard WHO protocols.Good practice statement

NATIONAL ADAPTATION AND IMPLEMENTATION

• The choice of ACTs in a country or region should be based on optimal efficacy, safety and adherence.Good practice statement

• Drugs used in IPTp, SMC and IPTi should not be used as a component of first- line treatments in the same country or region.Good practice statement

• When possible, use:• fixed-dose combinations rather than co-blistered or loose, single-agent

formulations; and

• for young children and infants, paediatric formulations, with a preference for solid formulations (e.g. dispersible tablets) rather than liquid formulations.

Good practice statement

Malaria case management, encompassing prompt diagnosis and treatment with an effective antimalarial, is one of the key strategies for the control of malaria.

5.1.1 Malaria treatment optionsThe following points are made to complement the information presented in the box.

Uncomplicated P. falciparum malaria

Artemisinin-based combination therapies (ACTs) are the treatment recommended for all cases of uncomplicated falciparum malaria including in:

• young infants (<5 kg)

• people living with HIV/AIDS

• community case management of malaria

• pregnant women in the 2nd and 3rd trimesters (exception: use in the 1st trimester only if there are no alternative effective antimalarials)

The following six ACTs are presently recommended:

• artemether + lumefantrine

• artesunate + amodiaquine

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• artesunate + mefloquine

• artesunate + sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine

• dihydroartemisinin + piperaquine

Artesunate + pyronaridine may be considered for areas of multi-drug resistance where there are few effective alternative ACTs available.

• artesunate + pyronaridine

Management of uncomplicated malaria treatment failures occurring within 28 days of treatment with 1st line ACT should be with an alternative effective ACT: (since the efficacy and tolerability of ACTs partially depends on the efficacy of the partner medicine, it is possible to use two different ACTs as 1st and 2nd-line options).

Fixed-dose combination (FDC) formulations are strongly preferred and recommended over co-packaged or loose tablet combinations to promote patient adherence to treatment and to reduce the potential selective use of the medicines as monotherapy. Fixed-dose combination formulations are now available for all recommended ACTs, except artesunate plus SP.

Paediatric formulations, with a preference for dispersible tablets rather than liquid formulations are recommended for young children and infants.

Oral artemisinin-based monotherapy medicines

To contain the risk of development of resistance to artemisinin-based combination therapies (ACTs), WHO urges Member States to urgently cease the marketing and use of oral artemisinin-based monotherapy medicines, in both the public and private sectors, and to promote the use of ACTs instead. As part of malaria Resolution WHA60.18 (16), these recommendations were endorsed by all WHO Member States at the 60th World Health Assembly in May 2007, and WHO requests international organizations and financing bodies to cease to fund the provision and distribution of oral artemisinin-based monotherapies (this recommendation does not refer to injectable or rectal formulations, see recommendations on prereferral treatment of severe malaria section). More information on this can be obtained on the GMP website (17).

Pregnancy

The following options are recommended for the treatment of uncomplicated malaria in pregnancy:

• 1st trimester:6 quinine + clindamycin. An effective ACT should be used if quinine + clindamycin is not available. The programmatic difficulty of ensuring an individual’s adherence to this recommendation is acknowledged.

• 2nd and 3rd trimesters: any of the recommended ACTs as listed above.

Preventing relapse in P.vivax or P.ovale malaria

Where ACT (exception AS+SP) has been adopted as the first-line treatment for P. falciparum malaria, it may also be used for P. vivax malaria in combination with primaquine for radical cure.

6 ACT should be used if it is the only effective antimalarial treatment available

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Severe falciparum malaria

Treatment of severe malaria

Parenteral artesunate (IV or IM) is the medicine of choice for severe malaria in all age groups, and in all trimesters of pregnancy – severe malaria is a life-threatening condition. Compared with quinine, artesunate significantly reduces the risk of death and lowers the risk of treatment-associated side effects, including hypoglycaemia, and should be procured in preference.

Pre-referral treatment of severe malaria

The risk of death from severe malaria is greatest in the first 24 hours. Since isolated rural communities often have poor access to health facilities they are most at risk of dying from severe malaria. Pre-referral treatment options for severe malaria depend on the age of the patient and the availability of medicines. First choice pre-referral treatment is a single dose of i.m. artesunate in both children and adults.

• In areas where i.m. injections of artesunate are not available, WHO recommends that children under 6 years of age should receive a pre-referral dose of rectal artesunate (10mg/kg bw), followed by immediate referral and the complete required treatment by injectable artesunate and ACT at a health care facility. If rectal artesunate is not available, artemether or quinine, in decreasing order of preference, should be given intramuscularly prior to immediate referral. Where transfer to a health facility is delayed more than 12 hours, a further dose of rectal artesunate should be given.

• In older children (> 6 years) and adults, options for pre-referral treatment are artesunate (IM), artemether (IM) or quinine (IM). Rectal artesunate should not be used in children > 6 years of age and adults.

5.1.2 Selection and procurement of artemisinin-based antimalarial medicinesWHO recommends the procurement of the six artemisinin-based antimalarial medicines listed on the WHO Prequalification List,7 which is based on stringent and internationally agreed quality assurance criteria.

In addition to products prequalified by WHO, the Global Fund quality assurance policy also accepts antimalarial medicines which are:8

• registered by a Stringent Drug Regulatory Authority (SDRA); or

• approved by the Global Fund Expert Review Panel in cases where a WHO prequalified or SDRA-approved product cannot be made available within 90 days of receipt of the Purchase Order by the manufacturer.

Quality is one of the most important considerations in the manufacture and procurement of medicines. Artemisinin-based antimalarial medicines are particularly vulnerable to degradation by heat and humidity during transport and storage if not manufactured in the appropriate formulations and packaging and have a relatively short shelf life of 2 to 3 years.

Detailed information on each step of the procurement cycle (from estimation of requirements, through tender-related procedures and pre-/post-shipment quality control, to monitoring and evaluation) of antimalarial medicines is available in the 16 step procurement checklist in the manual on Good procurement practices for artemisinin-based antimalarial medicines (18).

7 https://extranet.who.int/prequal/content/prequalified-lists/medicines 8 https://www.theglobalfund.org/media/4756/psm_productsmalaria_list_en.pdf

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Estimating the quantities of antimalarial medicines and rapid diagnostic tests required, especially in those countries that lack a reliable logistic management information system, is a challenging task. If the pipeline is already filled and reliable stock management records are available, requirements can be estimated using the consumption method. If, however, past consumption cannot serve as a guide to the future, the morbidity method should be applied based on recent trends of reported malaria cases. Major sources of errors in estimating drug requirements may include previous budgets were too low; prescribing patterns have changed substantially; new treatments are being introduced; successful malaria control interventions have decreased drug consumption over time or changes in treatment seeking behaviour have resulted from recent changes in policies/interventions. In most situations, a combination of both methods is applicable. The estimations should be adjusted for programme delivery capacity, and take into consideration stock in hand, stock on order, anticipated losses, lead-time, product shelf-life (most malaria RDTs have a 24 month shelf-life but G6PD point of care tests are 12 months) and needs for buffer stocks. To translate the forecast into actual orders, the estimated needs should be matched against available funds.

5.1.3 Malaria treatment policyAntimalarial treatment policy is a set of recommendations and regulations regarding the availability, and the rational use of antimalarial medicines in a country. It provides guidelines for early diagnostic testing and prompt and effective treatment to be adapted as appropriate to the local context, for all levels of the health care systems.

The process of policy change

Changing antimalarial treatment policy in countries requires concerted action by all relevant stakeholders, and continuous stewardship by the Ministry of Health.

The decision on whether an existing treatment policy needs to be changed is based on results of therapeutic efficacy studies of the antimalarial drugs that are already in use, made in line with standard WHO protocols.9 In some elimination settings, integrated disease efficacy for surveillance (iDES) is used to monitor drug susceptibility. WHO’s current recommendation is to change a treatment policy when the:

• treatment failure is >10%, as assessed through monitoring of therapeutic efficacy at 28 days follow-up (42 days follow-up for piperaquine, mefloquine and pyronaridine-containing combinations).

Similarly, an antimalarial medicine should only be selected as a new treatment policy option when the medicine has an average cure rate of >95% as assessed in therapeutic efficacy studies.

The process of implementing a new treatment policy

The following areas and activities are critical to the effective implementation of a revised and/or expanding policy. They have budgetary implications and should thus be taken into account in the preparation of any proposal intending to support the implementation of an ACT based treatment policy:

1. Provision for preliminary activities for planning and development of a framework for implementation or scale-up, such as forecasting, training, and supervision.

2. Provision for procurement and distribution of supplies. To include:

9 See section 5.1.4 on Therapeutic efficacy monitoring for details on protocols. https://www.who.int/malaria/areas/drug_resistance/efficacy-monitoring-tools/en/

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• estimation of needs (medicines and diagnostic tests);10

• procurement costs for antimalarials and diagnostic tests. This should also include the cost of insurance, transportation, delivery, stock management within the country, etc.;

• medicines storage and distribution systems;

• resources for purchase of microscopes, laboratory supplies and malaria rapid diagnostic tests, point of care G6PD tests, control materials and ancillary items.

3. Provision for orientation and training of all health workers in public and/or private sector. To include:

• development and production of training materials and tools for all health workers;

• a budget for orientation, training and updating of health workers;

• funding for periodic supervision of health workers;

4. Provision for behaviour change communication strategy. To include:

• production and pre-testing of education, information (IEC), behaviour change communication (BCC) and advocacy materials;

• implementation of IEC, BCC and advocacy activities targeting various groups (communities, health workers, leaders at different levels and partners);

• activities and tools to enhance compliance with diagnostic test results and ACT treatment.

5. Quality assurance. To include:

• resources to support quality assurance systems for medicines and diagnostics – specifically:

a) resources for quality control (QC) of medicines and diagnostics (malaria and G6PD);

b) resources for post-marketing surveillance of medicines and diagnostics linked to national QC laboratories;

6. Monitoring and evaluation. To include:

• setting up a system for data collection and reporting on distribution and stock-outs of antimalarial medicines and diagnostics;

• routine therapeutic efficacy of first and second line ACTs in representative sites every other year. These should be conducted as an essential surveillance activity of a malaria control programme (See section 6.1.4 below for more information);

• surveys for pfhrp2/3 deletions if there are reports of pfhrp2 deletions in the country or in neighbouring countries (19, 20). Surveys should be according to WHO recommended protocols.

7. Pharmacovigilance. Working in conjunction with the National Regulatory Authority or other body responsible for pharmacovigilance, this should include:

• development and production of Adverse Events Reporting forms;

• cascade training of health workers (public and private sector);

• costs for investigation of reported Adverse Events;

10 See section 5.3 on supply chain management for details on quantification and procurements

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• data processing equipment, data management and communication.

5.1.4 Monitoring antimalarial drug resistanceAntimalarial drug resistance is a major public health problem, which hinders the control of malaria. A summary of worldwide data on antimalarial drug efficacy and drug resistance is available on GMP website: https://www.who.int/malaria/areas/drug_resistance/drug_efficacy_database/en/ and a visual overview is available at http://apps.who.int/malaria/maps/threats/.

WHO developed a protocol for assessing antimalarial drug resistance for all transmission areas, as well as for monitoring efficacy of antimalarial medicines against vivax malaria.

These protocols are designed to provide essential information for monitoring the therapeutic efficacy of a range of antimalarial drugs against uncomplicated falciparum malaria and to ensure a sufficient evidence base from which Ministries of Health can develop informed treatment policies and guidelines. The use of a standardized protocol allows for the comparison of results in country and among countries in the same region.

Routine monitoring of the therapeutic efficacy of artemisinin-based combination therapies (ACTs) is essential for timely changes to treatment policy and can help to detect early changes in P. falciparum sensitivity to artemisinins. WHO currently recommends monitoring the efficacy of first line and second line ACTs every two years in all sentinel sites, and changing antimalarial treatment policy when the treatment failure rate of a 28- or 42-day follow-up study (depending on the medicine) exceeds 10%. The proportion of patients who are parasitemic on day 3 is currently the best available indicator used in routine monitoring to measure P. falciparum sensitivity to artemisinins. Molecular markers for antimalarial drug resistance should be added systematically to the TES. Molecular markers are an early warning signal for the emergence of resistance, can confirm that treatment failures are due to resistance and can be an asset for policy decision and change.

Protocols and tools are available on GMP website: https://www.who.int/malaria/areas/drug_resistance/efficacy-monitoring-tools/en/

5.2 Malaria diagnostic testing

DIAGNOSIS OF MALARIA

• All cases of suspected malaria should have a parasitological test (microscopy or RDT) to confirm the diagnosis. Both microscopy and RDTs should be supported by a quality assurance programme.Good practice statement

5.2.1 BackgroundPrompt and accurate diagnosis of malaria is fundamental to effective disease management and essential to improving the overall management of febrile illnesses. WHO currently recommends:

• prompt parasitological confirmation by microscopy or RDTs in all patients suspected of malaria before treatment.11

11 Treatment solely based on clinical suspicion should only be considered when a parasitological diagnosis is not accessible.

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The ongoing implementation of this recommendation is leading to a progressive shift from presumptive treatment towards parasitological confirmation prior to treatment. This is a major paradigm change, particularly in areas of high malaria transmission for children under five years of age. It has required an increase in the procurement and use of rapid diagnostic tests, as well as a continued need for strengthening of laboratory and microscopy services.

In line with the above, estimation of the requirements and costs (direct and indirect) of malaria diagnostic tests should be factored into the cost of case management, and should include: the training of health workers; consumer education; supervision; quality assurance services, surveillance for pfhrp2/3 deletions where applicable, and cost of other consumables – slides, reagents, lancet, gloves etc.

Clinical diagnosis of malaria has poor accuracy and leads to over-diagnosis, with resultant inappropriate management of non-malarial febrile illness and wastage of antimalarial medicines. As such, evidence of the presence of malaria parasites prior to treatment with antimalarial medicines is fundamental and WHO recommends parasitological confirmation of malaria through quality-assured diagnostic testing in all settings before treatment is started. Prompt diagnostic confirmation of malaria can be achieved through good quality microscopy or quality-assured RDTs, depending on the setting / area of intended use.

5.2.2 MicroscopyAn acceptable microscopy service is one that is cost-effective, provides results that are consistently accurate and timely enough to have a direct impact on treatment. This requires a comprehensive and active quality assurance (QA) programme. The primary aim of malaria microscopy QA programmes is to ensure that microscopy services employ competent and motivated staff, who are supported by effective training and supervision and by a logistics system that provides and maintains an adequate supply of reagents and equipment and maintains high level of competency and performance. QA programmes must be sustainable, compatible with the needs of each country, and able to fit into the structure of existing laboratory services. A QA programme should: appropriately recognize performance and accredit competence; identify laboratories and microscopists with problems resulting in poor performance and implement corrective measures; and establish regional or national benchmarks for quality of diagnostic testing and central reporting of indicators including accuracy, equipment and reagent performance, stock control and workload. Without an efficient QA programme, resources spent on diagnostic services are likely to be wasted and clinicians will have no confidence in the results.

At a minimum, a malaria microscopy QA programme should include the following:

• a central coordinator(s) to oversee QA;

• a reference (core) group of microscopists at the head of a hierarchical structure, supported by an external QA programme and with demonstrable expertise in overseeing programme training and validation standards;

• good initial training with competency standards that must be met by trainees prior to operating in a clinical setting;

• clear standard operating procedures (SOPs) at all levels of the system;

• regular retraining and assessment/grading of competency, supported by a well validated reference slide set (slide bank);

• a sustainable cross-checking (validation) system that detects gross inadequacies without overwhelming validators higher up the structure, with good feed-back of results and a system to address inadequate performance;

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• good outreach training and supportive supervision at all levels;

• good logistical management, including supply of consumables and spare parts for maintenance of microscopes;

• an adequate budget as an essential part of funding for malaria case management.

5.2.3 Rapid diagnostic tests (RDTs)It is the responsibility of each national malaria control programme to select well performing RDTs that are adequate for the intended setting. To guide the selection and procurement of RDTs a WHO Information note on recommended selection criteria for procurement of malaria rapid diagnostic tests (RDTs) is available on the website (21). Since January 2019, WHO requires that malaria RDTs intended for the following purposes should be WHO-prequalified:

1. malaria RDTs that diagnose P. falciparum-only through detection of histidine rich protein 2 (HRP2);

2. malaria RDTs that diagnose and distinguish between P. falciparum (through detection of HRP2) and non falciparum malaria and/or P. falciparum (through detection of HRP2) and P. vivax.

The list of all currently prequalified malaria RDTs and those in the pipeline is available on the WHO prequalification website.12

Concerning all other types of malaria RDTs, including Pan-only detecting RDTs and RDTs specifically targeting non-HRP2 antigens, i.e. Pf-LDH for the detection of P. falciparum, WHO procurement requirements are the following, until further notice:

• a valid ISO 13485:2003,

• application for WHO prequalification submitted, and

• acceptable performance indicators in product testing, as per WHO assessment, based on the results of WHO malaria RDT product testing, as indicated below:

• for the detection of P. falciparum in all transmission settings, the panel detection score against P. falciparum samples should be at least 75% at 200 parasites/μL;

• for the detection of P. vivax in all transmission settings, the panel detection score against P. vivax samples should be at least 75% at 200 parasites/μL;

• the false positive rate should be less than 10%;

• the invalid rate should be less than 5%.

In addition to the above criteria, national health authorities should take the following factors into consideration when selecting appropriate malaria RDTs for procurement:

• stability requirements at temperatures of intended storage, transport and use;

• ease of use and training requirements for health workers;

• supplier production capacity and lead times;

• delivery schedules, box size and shelf life;

12 https://www.who.int/diagnostics_laboratory/evaluations/190121_prequalified_product_list.pdf

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• product registration requirements of the national regulatory authorities.

Once all these factors have been considered, other parameters should also be evaluated, such as completeness of the kits (e.g. inclusion of lancets and alcohol swabs), programmatic needs, and price. It must be stressed that price alone should not be the determining factor for the procurement of RDTs.

Any plans to change the type of RDT in routine use should take into consideration all corresponding training and programmatic requirements.

5.2.4 Point of care G6PD tests Both qualitative and quantitative point of care G6PD tests have recently been commercialized. No products currently have WHO prequalification but one is in the pipeline and others are expected to be submitted in 2020.

Qualitative tests can distinguish between deficient and non-deficient cases (<30% of normal G6PD activity and > 30% of normal G6PD activity) but cannot discriminate those with intermediate G6PD enzyme activity (heterozygous women).

In 2015, a WHO technical consultation concluded that the CareStart G6PD RDT (Access Bio Inc) performed comparably with the fluorescent spot tests (the recommended screening test for several decades). However, the performance was based largely on studies conducted by trained laboratory technicians and the absence of a control line, as well as somewhat subjective read out (colour change), would need to be cautiously monitored in programmatic settings.

Following the Expert Review Panel for Diagnostics (ERPD) assessment the CareStart G6PD RDT was granted ERPD Risk Category 3,meaning they may be considered for time- limited procurement only if there is no other option and if the risk of not diagnosing and/or making treatment decisions is higher than the risk of using the product. In April 2019, the SD Biosensor quantitative G6PD test was granted Risk Category 2 approval, meaning they may be considered for time-limited procurement. Both products have commercially available control materials that can be purchased separately.

G6PD point of care tests currently have shelf lifes of 12 months (compared to 24 months for malaria RDTs) and can be stored and transported up to 30°C maximum (compared to 40°C for most malaria RDTs). These differences in storage/transport requirements and shelf life need to be carefully managed to avoid stock outs and reduced performance.

5.2.5 RDT lot testing programmeThe performance of individual malaria RDTs is likely to vary between lots over time. It is therefore recommended that all lots of RDT procured be checked for quality prior to large-scale deployment in the field, and that a process of monitoring RDT performance in the field should be put in place. This should be applied to all RDTs. WHO lot testing services are available free of charge and results are provided within seven days of RDTs being received at the testing laboratory. Full information on WHO procedures for RDT lot testing request and shipping is available on the website.13

13 https://www.who.int/malaria/areas/diagnosis/rapid-diagnostic-tests/evaluation-lot-testing/en/

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5.2.6 P. falciparum histidine-rich protein 2/3 gene deletionsMost of the currently available commercial RDT kits work by detecting a specific protein expressed only by P. falciparum, called HRP2, in the blood of people infected with falciparum malaria. The antibodies on the test strip recognize the PfHRP2 antigen but may cross-react with HRP3, another antigen produced by the HRP gene family, pfhrp3, with strong similarity of the amino acid sequence. The general preference for PfHRP2-based RDTs is due largely to their higher sensitivity and heat-stability than RDTs that detect other malaria antigens, such as plasmodium lactate dehydrogenase (pLDH) – pan (all species) or P. falciparum-specific – or aldolase.

If P. falciparum parasites have pfhrp2 gene deletions, RDTs targeting only HRP2 antigens may give a false negative result. In light of recent confirmation of high prevalence of HRP2 deletions in P. falciparum parasites in Eritrea and reports of lower prevalence in several African countries, WHO has provided guidance to RDT manufacturers, procurers, implementers and users on procedures for confirming (or excluding) pfhrp2/pfhrp3 gene deletions and on investigating other causes of suspected false-negative RDT results (19)..

Countries with reports of confirmed pfhrp2 deletions, and countries that neighbour these countries, should conduct surveys to determine if pfhrp2/pfhrp3 gene deletions account for ≥ 5% of false negative RDT results. If so, then, alternative RDTs detecting non-HRP2 antigens should be procured, with development of new algorithms and job aids, and re-training of health care providers in the use of the new RDTs. Therefore, all investigations must be carried out systematically and accurately following WHO protocols. A WHO global response plan describes the range of activities that are required to address the threat of pfhrp2/3 deletions (22).

5.3 Plan of activities for budgeting purposesTo allow for adequate budgeting, it is essential to make a comprehensive list of activities and commodities for which funding is required. Below is an example of such a list.14 This is not exhaustive and should be modified and customized per the country’s specific needs:

1. Completion of preliminary activities – such as quantification and training, and introduction and procurement planning of medicines and/or diagnostics supply.

2. Orientation and training of all health workers in public and private sector on the use of medicines and rapid diagnostic tests. These activities should be planned in conjunction with MoH staff responsible for an integrated approach to the management of febrile patients, and include:

• development and production of training materials for all health workers;

• a budget for orientation and training of health workers;

• resources for periodic supervision of health workers.

3. Elaboration of behaviour change communication strategy:

• development, field-testing and production of IEC and advocacy materials;

• education and communication activities targeting various groups (e.g. communities, health workers).

14 See table “Components of a budget for strengthening malaria diagnosis”, in Universal access to malaria diagnostics testing: an operational manual: https://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/handle/10665/44657/9789241502092_eng.pdf#page=52

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4. Procurement and distribution of malaria medicines and diagnostics:

• Quantification: Estimation of needs and forecast of demand for medicines and rapid diagnostic tests as well as required ancillary items.

• Procurement running costs for medicines and diagnostic tests should not only consider cost of goods prices but also the costs of freight, insurance, programme support, port clearance and customs procedures, in-country distribution and storage. Costs of tender-related procedures (preparation of tender documents, tender invitation and bid evaluation by sufficient staff with appropriate expertise) must also be included.

• Transport and storage: All necessary equipment (including for distribution, storage, and RDT waste management) need to be taken into account, together with maintenance costs.

5. The implementation and ongoing running of sound quality assurance systems for medicines as well as diagnostics (pre-/post-shipment quality control systems for medicines and pre-/post-shipment lot testing for RDTs). Quality assurance materials and services for microscopy and RDTs.

6. Development and implementation of sound monitoring systems:

• to collect and evaluate data concerning in-country distribution and stock-outs on medicines and RDTs (from all levels of the health care system);

• therapeutic efficacy and resistance monitoring;

• pharmacovigilance (development and production of adverse events reporting forms, cascade training of health workers (public and private sector), costs for investigation of reported cases, data processing equipment, data management and communication).

5.4 Delivery of malaria treatment Progress towards the Sustainable Development Goal target 3.8 on Universal Health Coverage (UHC) and target 3.3 on communicable diseases, requires countries to move towards ensuring that all people and communities have access to health services and commodities that are high quality, safe and acceptable.

Universal health coverage is a commitment for universal access to a strong and resilient people-centred health system. Implicit in the definition of UHC is that the services are of high quality, meaning that more people, especially the poorest and most vulnerable, are diagnosed correctly and receive the interventions they need.

Primary health care is the foundation of UHC. Primary health care (PHC) is the most equitable, efficient, cost-effective and sustainable platform for delivering malaria services. It is intended to provide most of the services that people need, supplemented by emergency care, hospital-based treatment and crisis management of epidemics, when required.

Governments are the stewards of health systems, orchestrating services so that they are financially viable and designed to suit the local context, user needs and preferences. Delivery will vary according to factors such as health-seeking behaviour, the accessibility and functioning of the public and private health infrastructure, availability of the private retail sector and the potential of community cadres. The different service delivery points should be mapped alongside information on changing epidemiological and demographic trends, and social and cultural contexts, to help identify the optimal delivery channels.

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5.4.1 Community delivery Malaria imposes its greatest burden in remote rural areas of endemic countries where health services are weakest, and most people do not have ready access to quality malaria diagnostic testing and treatment. WHO recommends that diagnostic testing and effective treatment should be made available at all levels of service delivery, including at community level. Once ACTs are adopted by a country as first line treatment, mechanisms to facilitate access to malaria RDTs and ACTs – including, where appropriate, making them available at the community level – should rapidly be put in place.

To facilitate access to essential treatment at the community level, countries should consider the potential of integrated community case management (iCCM) as a component of Primary Health Care. iCCM can act as an extension of health facility service delivery points and may be incorporated into the overall malaria and child health strategic and implementation plans.

WHO recommends that community case management of malaria be delivered as part of iCCM, which also includes the treatment of pneumonia and diarrhoea in children under five years of age. While the Global Fund does not currently allow for funding of antibiotics or ORS and zinc, the funding of most community case management services (including the training, supervision, and supply chain systems for community delivery of case management through an iCCM platform) may be supported by Global Fund Grants.

Implementation of the full iCCM package is associated with an increase in rational use of antimalarials, and countries are strongly encouraged to secure funds for the procurement of all commodities needed for iCCM, including antibiotics, ORS and zinc.

Implementation requirements

In countries that do not have any experience of community-based malaria case management, it is recommended that implementation be undertaken in a phased manner to allow the country to build up experiences and document best practices. Reference can be made to the iCCM Benchmarks Matrix, which lays out the necessary steps to take across the various critical programme components of iCCM. Opportunities to learn from experience in neighbouring countries that have deployed iCCM should also be considered.

To scale up malaria case management as part of an iCCM strategy, the following steps need to be taken and should have clear and specific budget lines:

• sensitization of all stakeholders at national, sub-national, district and community levels;

• development of integrated training materials based on the WHO Caring for Sick Child in the Community manual for community-based providers;

• development of a community engagement strategy, including the community’s engagement in planning, implementing and uptake of quality iCCM services;

• development of behaviour change communication strategies and materials to create demand and increased care seeking for sick children;

• training of selected community-based providers on iCCM, including malaria case management, diagnostics and medicine handling, and reporting;

• procurement and distribution of age-based pre-packed treatment courses of ACT ;

• procurement and distribution of quality-assured RDTs;

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• development of a supportive supervision strategy to ensure retention of community health worker case management skills, quality of reporting, availability of commodities at community level and linking of health facilities to communities and their community-based providers;

• mechanisms for motivation and retention of community-based providers;

• development of a monitoring and health information system with simple recording tools harmonized with health facility tools to collect data from community activities. This is essential to guide action at the local level, ensure accountability and sustained improvement of iCCM programming;

• data flow from community-based providers, integrated in the health facility management information system;

• improvement in the quality of care at first level and inpatient referral facilities for management of children referred from the community.

Challenges related to deployment of ACTs and RDTs at community level

Many countries have implemented iCCM at scale or are in the process of scaling up iCCM. Major challenges in scale-up include:

• weaknesses in sustainable financing and integration of iCCM into the national health system;

• lack of a programme/institution in charge of iCCM coordination;

• a coherent remuneration and motivation strategy for community-based providers;

• poor supervision due to shortage of staff at health facilities, weak links between community-based providers and health facilities, and limited dedicated funds for supervision;

• non-integrated iCCM supply chain, poor data on iCCM commodity consumption, and inadequate funding for pneumonia and diarrhoea commodities;

• parallel community information systems supported by partners;

• absence of a community engagement strategy.

These challenges may require operational research at country level to address the issues, and countries are encouraged to include the resources for this in their funding requests.

5.4.2 Working through the private sector In many countries the private sector is the first source of care for malaria for considerable portions of the population. Private providers may include pharmacies, authorised and informal drug shops, and other medicine sellers, in addition to private health facilities. As much as possible, countries should engage with the different parts of the private sector to ensure the provision of quality care for malaria, including diagnostic testing and ACTs, as part of national efforts to reduce the burden of malaria. The following priority activities should be considered:

• Promotion: Governments, NMCPs and other key stakeholders should invest in demand generation among the population for better quality care in the private health sector, with behaviour change and communication activities promoting malaria diagnostic testing and compliance with the results as part of “T3: test, treat and track”.

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• Quality of care: The confidence in the quality of care delivered by private sector providers can be enhanced through: 1) accreditation systems for drug shops; 2) training in malarial and non-malarial fever case management, and professional development schemes for private health care providers; 3) supervision of private health care providers, ideally by existing government health care workers; and 4) increasing the availability and affordability of quality diagnostics and medicines.

• Policy and regulations: Country policies and regulations should be reviewed and revised to ensure consistency on where mRDTs can be sold and who can perform them, and where antimalarials can be accessed and who can prescribe and/or sell them. This should take into account client care-seeking practices and supporting the extension of quality malaria testing to ensure the rational use of malaria medicines. Guidance should be developed and behaviour change promoted – by health workers, community-based providers, private providers, as well as the communities they serve – to ensure that health care providers and patients know what should happen in the event of a negative malaria test result.

• Market information: The lack of detailed current information on private sector antimalarial and RDT market dynamics, especially outside the large urban areas, should be addressed and results disseminated among all stakeholders. As countries differ, each needs to undertake an in-depth market review, with periodic updates to monitor progress and inform future actions.

• Surveillance: Simple systems should be developed to allow the private sector to be fully integrated into national malaria surveillance systems, and providers should be supported to report complete, accurate and timely data through training, supervision and appropriate incentives.

• Pricing and incentives: Countries should ensure that quality-assured products crowd out poor-quality and inappropriate products through pricing and other measures that make them preferred by patients and providers. The cost to the caregiver/patient of the testing and treatment package should be affordable and promote appropriate case management. Taxes and tariff systems for finished products should be aligned so that diagnostics are not disadvantaged compared to quality ACTs or other pharmaceutical products.

• Coordination: As different stakeholders are not always aligned on how to involve the private sector in delivering quality case management, it is necessary to bring all groups together to work out ways to overcome this constraint, under the stewardship of government.

Countries should develop and explore innovative models for organizing and engaging the private sector to expand access to subsidized ACTs and RDTs. The public sector should provide overall stewardship to private providers, including training on use of RDTs, patient counselling, drug handling, dispensing and referral of severe cases. The public sector should subsequently monitor private providers to ensure they maintain quality of care standards and reliable record-keeping. A multi-agency, multi-country project aiming to increase malaria rapid diagnostic testing outlines a step by step approach for engagement through implementation.15

15 https://www.psi.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/PSI-Private-Sector-RDT-Roadmap.pdf

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6. MALARIA ELIMINATION AND PREVENTION OF RE-ESTABLISHMENT

6.1 IntroductionMalaria elimination is the ‘interruption of local transmission (reduction to zero incidence of indigenous cases) of a specified malaria parasite in a defined geographical area because of deliberate activities’. Continued measures to prevent re-establishment of transmission are required. The certification of malaria elimination in a country will require that indigenous transmission is interrupted for all human malaria parasites.

The GTS calls for all malaria-endemic countries to accelerate efforts towards elimination and attainment of malaria-free status. The actions that programmes along the continuum of malaria transmission, from very high to very low, can take to move towards elimination are highlighted in the WHO Framework for malaria elimination (23). The distinct categories of ‘control,’ ‘elimination’ and ‘pre-elimination’ are no longer used, and the Framework recommends that all countries move towards elimination through successive steps of iterative planning with anticipation of transitions and evolving approaches. In addition, the Framework stresses the importance of adapting and tailoring interventions to subnational areas in the same country, based on stratification.

Elimination can be considered achieved when there are zero indigenous cases over a period of three years, and a robust surveillance and response system is in place to prove it. However even after elimination has been achieved, continued intervention measures are required for as long as the area remains receptive to transmission and exposed to importation of parasites16. Countries must develop strategic plans to prevent re-establishment of transmission, the second requirement for certification after achieving three years of zero indigenous cases.

6.2 Progressing towards malaria elimination To reduce the disease burden and progress to elimination as soon as possible, countries should seek to promote universal coverage with an appropriate mix of malaria interventions in populations at risk.

Countries should stratify subnational areas, according to the burden and characteristics of malaria, to identify the appropriate mix and intensity of interventions. By stratifying subnationally, countries can accelerate subnational elimination of malaria by targeting appropriate interventions according to the burden of disease, set subnational elimination targets and monitor progress.

6.3 Main elements of a malaria elimination strategyMost countries introduce malaria elimination in a geographically phased manner, expanding the programme area over time. The Framework describes the principles, practice, tools and approaches, as well as monitoring and evaluation requirements, for malaria elimination.

16 Receptivity is the degree to which an ecosystem in a given area at a given time allows for the transmission of Plasmodium spp. from a human through a vector mosquito to another human. Note: This concept reflects vectorial capacity, susceptibility of the human population to malaria infection, and the strength of the health system, including malaria interventions. Receptivity depends on vector susceptibility to particular species of Plasmodium and is influenced by ecological and climatic factors. Importation of parasites is of particular concern in countries that neighbour highly endemic areas, or otherwise experience high rates of population exchange with such areas.

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6.3.1 National strategy, coordination and advocacyCountries need highly competent and dedicated staff at national and subnational levels with expertise in malaria prevention and control activities. Countries need a national strategic elimination plan that is aligned with WHO guidance, up to date, costed and implemented. The plan should include the stratification scheme (described below) and a monitoring and evaluation plan to ensure that activities and impact are occurring as planned.

Community engagement should be considered from the outset of an elimination programme and be specifically addressed as part of the national strategic plan (25). Countries should develop specific structures to promote community engagement in developing and evaluating the elimination programme and its impact in their locality.

WHO recommends that countries have independent national elimination advisory committees in place to help monitor progress, address elimination bottlenecks, provide an objective review of case classifications when approaching zero indigenous cases, oversee subnational elimination and assist with coordination of the certification process. Suggested terms of reference are available in the Framework for malaria elimination.

6.3.2 Stratification: the starting pointAccurate stratification of malaria transmission intensity is essential for effective targeting of interventions. Stratification involves classification of geographical units according to their current transmission intensity and characteristics of malaria, and, once transmission intensity has been reduced, according to their receptivity to malaria and risk for importation of malaria cases. As countries progress towards elimination, finer-scale mapping is required, and stratification should be more specific, ideally at the level of localities or health facility catchment areas, and ultimately at the level of transmission foci.

Malaria surveillance, case management, vector control and chemoprevention strategies must be targeted appropriately based on the stratification scheme. The appropriate targeting will be based on the number of malaria cases and their classification, underlying receptivity and risk of importation, and the health system capacity to undertake activities. For example, a district with more than 1000 local malaria cases per year would need between 5-10 investigation teams before they could begin case and focus investigations, but districts with only 100 local malaria cases per year could consider starting case and focus investigations with 1-2 investigation teams. Vector control should be targeted to all areas of active transmission as well as those areas that have eliminated but remain receptive to transmission and have a risk of malaria importation. Mass drug administration can be used to reduce P. falciparum transmission in areas where there is good access to case management, effective implementation of vector control and surveillance and minimal risk of parasite importation.

6.3.2 Passive surveillance and case managementThe backbone of a successful elimination programme is the passive surveillance system in which suspected malaria cases are identified, tested using microscopy or rapid diagnostic tests, treated according to WHO guidelines and notified to the surveillance system for further investigation. Without a strong passive surveillance system, it is not possible to implement more intensive surveillance strategies such as case and focus investigations.

Passive surveillance systems must be fully operational throughout the country, even in areas not receptive to transmission but where imported malaria cases may be diagnosed. Private, military, social security and police clinics with the potential to receive suspected malaria cases must also fully participate in the malaria surveillance system.

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Critical milestones for monitoring progress in implementing elimination-ready passive surveillance and case management include:

• malaria is a notifiable disease nationwide;

• all cases of malaria in the public as well as the private sectors are confirmed by quality-assured microscopy or WHO-prequalified rapid diagnostic tests;

• all confirmed cases of malaria have their treatment supervised to ensure compliance, and are followed-up to day 28 (or 42, depending on the half-life of the antimalarial treatment) to ensure compliance and cure;

• full engagement of the private sector including reporting, and phasing out the sale of antimalarial medicines;

• nationwide microscopy and antimalarial drugs quality assurance system covers both the public and private sector;

• a single low-dose of primaquine is used to reduce transmission from cases of P. falciparum (see section 6.1);

• national policy for radical treatment with primaquine for P. vivax is fully implemented.

6.3.3 Active surveillance Active case detection can play an important role by targeting high risk populations who may not receive a timely diagnosis of malaria through passive case detection. Countries should identify their actual or potential high-risk groups and supplement passive case detection with active case detection when necessary.

6.3.4 Enhancing and optimizing vector controlVector control strategies, such as use of insecticide-treated mosquito nets (ITNs/LLINs) and indoor residual spraying (IRS), supplemented by larval source management when appropriate, are critical for reducing malaria transmission. Entomological surveillance should be able to characterize receptivity to guide stratification and selection of interventions, determine the seasonality of transmission for optimal timing of interventions, and monitor the susceptibility of vectors to insecticides used in vector control.

In many countries, continued implementation of core vector control interventions will be required even as transmission is markedly reduced: a large proportion of the reduction in receptivity is due to vector control. Once elimination has been achieved, vector control may be “focalized” rather than scaled back, i.e. the intervention should be made available for defined at-risk populations to prevent re-establishment or resumption of local transmission.

6.3.5 Population-wide parasite clearanceMass drug administration is currently recommended for consideration in areas approaching elimination of P. falciparum where there is good access to treatment, surveillance and vector control, and limited parasite importation. Decisions to deploy mass drug administration should only be made after careful assessment of these factors and the potential benefits and costs. The WHO Manual on mass drug administration can provide more details on how to operationalize mass drug administration campaigns (24).

7.3.6 Surveillance to target individual cases and foci of transmissionSurveillance systems should identify the areas and population groups most affected by malaria, assess the impact of interventions and progress towards elimination, actively identify

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and treat cases to prevent onward transmission, investigate cases to determine their likely location of infection and monitor the malaria-free status of areas that have eliminated transmission.

When countries approach elimination, all cases need to be investigated immediately to first determine whether they are imported (infected in another country) or local (infected within the country, including both introduced and indigenous cases). The main purpose of the case investigation is to gather enough information to determine where the patient was during the likely period of infection, which for P. falciparum is 9-14 days before symptom onset, and for primary infections with P. vivax is 12-17 days before symptom onset. The case investigation also gathers information on characteristics of the case that can be used to identify high-risk groups. Most case investigations should be conducted at the household level to ensure there is enough time for a thorough investigation, but when cases are clearly imported, it is possible to conduct case investigations at the health facility.

Once a case has been classified as local or imported, additional investigations may be needed to determine whether a local case is further classified as indigenous or introduced. The distinction between indigenous and introduced is rarely useful until countries are within 1-2 years of reaching 0 indigenous cases, generally when the number of local cases is <20 per year. Additional investigations to help distinguish indigenous from introduced cases when there is no history of travel includes record reviews of health facilities in the area to identify imported cases, reactive case detection around the index case and, in some cases, entomological surveillance to determine whether the area is receptive.

Focus investigations are conducted in the likely location of infection when the number of cases is very low and additional information is needed to respond appropriately. The purpose of the focus investigations is to identify the factors contributing to transmission and address them systematically through development of a focus microplan. Focus investigations can begin with the case investigation, if the likely location of infection is determined to be the homestead, and do not have to be considered a separate step. However, if it appears that transmission occurred outside the homestead, focus investigations need to take place at the likely location of infection, whether that is in a forest or another part of the district. Focus investigations may include: desk review of existing data on the focus; active detection of malaria cases in the area around the index malaria case (known as ‘reactive case detection’) to determine the extent of transmission; entomologic investigations to identify putative vector species, their abundance and insecticide susceptibility and, if larval source management is a potential intervention, identification of larval breeding sites; and key informant interviews to understand changes in environment, weather, healthcare seeking or changes in other factors that could affect malaria transmission.

7.3.7 Prevention of re-establishmentAs an area or a country approaches elimination, plans for prevention of re-establishment should be initiated. Preventing the re-establishment of malaria transmission requires proper management of receptivity (the ability of an ecosystem to allow transmission of malaria) and risk of malaria parasite importation.

Management of receptivity requires vector control, and areas that are receptive with risk of parasite importation may need to continue vector control even after elimination. In order to manage the risk for re-establishment of malaria transmission effectively, a high-performing surveillance system should be maintained to ensure early detection, mandatory notification, prompt treatment and thorough investigation of all malaria cases.

Once malaria elimination has been achieved, the malaria programme should be integrated into public health programmes in order to maintain the necessary technical expertise, even if the responsible staff no longer work solely on malaria. After elimination, response to malaria cases should be integrated into the country’s outbreak response system.

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Political and financial commitment for malaria must be sustained at national and subnational levels even after elimination to prevent re-establishment.

Prevention of re-establishment can be enhanced through cross-border collaboration with neighbouring countries that have a higher burden of malaria. Face-to-face meetings between districts or health facilities on either side of the border and simple social media platforms can help facilitate communication and collaboration.

6.3.8 Preparing for certification of malaria-free statusCertification of malaria elimination is granted by WHO to a country after it has been proven beyond reasonable doubt that human malaria transmission has been interrupted in the country, resulting in zero indigenous malaria cases for at least the past 3 consecutive years, and a programme for the prevention of re-establishment is in place. Certification of malaria elimination is a voluntary process initiated at a country’s request. The certification process provides an expert, objective and independent review and evaluation of a country’s declaration of malaria elimination and programme to prevent re-establishment of transmission. Preparation for certification begins before countries interrupt malaria transmission through development of national strategic elimination plans, effective implementation of planned activities, monitoring of progress and evaluation of impact. Documentation of efforts must begin during this time. Regular programme audits and intervention assessments, including surveillance assessments, should be conducted to determine whether key components of the elimination programme are being implemented effectively and whether documentation of activities and impact is occurring appropriately.

Countries approaching elimination should begin preparing for certification, which requires maintenance of records and documents to support a country’s claim of having eliminated malaria.

6.3 Tools to assist in auditing elimination programmes and planning for certification

A number of documents exist to help orient countries to the appropriate strategies and activities for elimination, including the Framework for malaria elimination and the Malaria surveillance, monitoring and evaluation: a reference manual. In addition, WHO has prepared the Malaria Elimination Audit Tool (MEAT) which countries can use as a checklist to prepare national strategic plans, for self-audit of programme status and for preparation of documentation needed for certification. The MEAT is currently being finalized but is available from the Global Malaria Programme by request ([email protected]).

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7. Malaria programme reviews: a manual for reviewing the performance of malaria control and elimination programmes (details to be provided later).

8. Daniel J Weiss, Tim C D Lucas, Michele Nguyen, Anita K Nandi et al. (2019). Mapping the global prevalence, incidence, and mortality of Plasmodium falciparum, 2000–17: a spatial and temporal modelling study, The Lancet in press.

9. Guidelines for malaria vector control. Geneva: World Health Organization; 2019 (https://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/handle/10665/310862/9789241550499-eng.pdf).

10. Global plan for insecticide resistance management in malaria vectors. Geneva: World Health Organization; 2012 (https://www.who.int/iris/bitstream/10665/44846/1/9789241564472_eng.pdf)

11. WHO | Intermittent preventive treatment in pregnancy (IPTp) [Internet]. WHO. Available from: http://www.who.int/malaria/areas/preventive_therapies/pregnancy/en/

12. WHO recommendations on antenatal care for a positive pregnancy experience. Geneva: World Health Organization; 2016 (http://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/10665/250796/1/9789241549912-eng.pdf)

13. Guidelines for the treatment of malaria. Third edition. Geneva: World Health Organization; 2015 (https://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/handle/10665/162441/9789241549127_eng.pdf#page=103)

14. Seasonal malaria chemoprevention with sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine plus amodiaquine in children: A field guide. Geneva: World Health Organization; 2013 (http://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/10665/85726/1/9789241504737_eng.pdf)

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58

15. WHO Malaria Policy Advisory Committee and Secretariat. Malaria Policy Advisory Committee to the WHO: conclusions and recommendations of eighth biannual meeting (September 2015). Malar J (2016) 15:117 (DOI 10.1186/s12936-016-1169-x)

16. Resolution WHA60.18. Malaria, including proposal for establishment of World Malaria Day. In Sixtieth World Health Assembly, Geneva, 14–23 May 2007. Resolutions and decisions, annexes. Geneva: World Health Organization; 2007. (http://apps.who.int/gb/ebwha/pdf_files/WHASSA_WHA60-Rec1/E/WHASS1_WHA60REC1-en.pdf#page=65)

17. WHO | Withdrawal of oral artemisinin-based monotherapies [Internet]. WHO. Available from: https://www.who.int/malaria/areas/treatment/withdrawal_of_oral_artemisinin_based_monotherapies/en/

18. Good procurement practices for artemisinin-based antimalarial medicines. Geneva: World Health Organization; 2010 (https://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/handle/10665/44248/9789241598927_eng.pdf)

19. False-negative RDT results and P. falciparum histidine-rich protein 2/3 gene deletions. Geneva: World Health Organization; 2017 (https://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/handle/10665/258972/WHO-HTM-GMP-2017.18-eng.pdf)

20. Malaria Threats Map: https://apps.who.int/malaria/maps/threats/

21. Information note on recommended selection criteria for procurement of malaria rapid diagnostic tests (RDTs) Geneva: World Health Organization; 2018 (http://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/10665/259870/1/WHO-CDS-GMP-2018.01-eng.pdf)

22. Response plan to pfhrp2 gene deletions. Geneva: World Health Organization; 2019 (https://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/handle/10665/325528/WHO-CDS-GMP-2019.02-eng.pdf)

23. A framework for malaria elimination. Geneva: World Health Organization; 2017 (http://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/10665/254761/1/9789241511988-eng.pdf)

24. Mass drug administration, mass screening and treatment and focal screening and treatment for malaria. Geneva: World Health Organization; 2015 (http://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/10665/259367/1/9789241513104-eng.pdf)

25. WHO | Integrated community case management of malaria [Internet]. WHO. Available from: http://www.who.int/malaria/areas/community_case_management/overview/en/

Page 65: Global Malaria Programme · Malaria control and elimination efforts are guided by the Global technical strategy for malaria 2016–2030 (GTS) (4). Adopted by the World Health Assembly

WH

O T

ECH

NIC

AL B

RIEF

FO

R C

OUN

TRIE

S PR

EPAR

ING

MAL

ARIA

FUN

DIN

G R

EQUE

STS

FOR

THE

GLO

BAL

FUND

(202

0–20

22)

59

QUI

CK

REFE

RENC

E TA

BLE

Cur

rent

WH

O re

com

men

datio

ns o

n m

alar

ia in

terv

entio

ns a

nd s

trat

egie

s w

ith

sugg

este

d co

nsid

erat

ions

for c

ount

ries

ada

ptin

g th

em to

dev

elop

sou

nd n

atio

nal

stra

tegi

c pl

ans

and

to p

rior

itize

reso

urce

s fo

r max

imum

impa

ct.

INTE

RVEN

TIO

N TY

PEC

URRE

NT

REC

OM

MEN

DAT

ION

POLI

CY

ADAP

TATI

ON

CO

NSID

ERAT

IONS

FO

R IN

TERV

ENTI

ON

TARG

ETIN

G

ANAL

YTIC

AL C

ONS

IDER

ATIO

NS A

ND

RATI

ONA

LEKE

Y D

ATA

AND

ARE

AS F

OR

MO

NITO

RING

STRA

TEG

IC C

ONS

IDER

ATIO

NS

Cas

e m

anag

emen

t Ac

cess

to p

rom

pt

and

effec

tive

mal

aria

cas

e m

anag

emen

t (d

iagn

osis

and

treat

men

t) is

requ

ired

in a

ll ar

eas,

incl

udin

g th

ose

with

out l

ocal

mal

aria

tra

nsm

issio

n

The

type

of t

reat

men

t pro

vide

d w

ill v

ary

depe

ndin

g on

type

of

para

site,

age

of p

atie

nt, s

ever

ity

of d

iseas

e, p

rogr

amm

atic

goa

ls (in

elim

inat

ion

setti

ngs,

singl

e lo

w d

ose

PQ s

houl

d be

giv

en

toge

ther

with

AC

Ts fo

r tre

atm

ent

of P

f).

Appr

oach

es to

sca

ling

up o

f iC

CM

and

eng

agem

ent o

f pr

ivat

e se

ctor

may

var

y by

co

untr

y an

d re

quire

sub

natio

nal

anal

ysis

to d

esig

n th

e m

ost

appr

opria

te a

ppro

ache

s.

Refe

r to

sect

ion

5.1 f

or d

etai

ls on

m

alar

ia tr

eatm

ent

One

of t

he m

ain

cons

ider

atio

ns

for t

arge

ting

iCC

M is

low

acc

ess

to

prim

ary

heal

th c

are

faci

litie

s -

ofte

n po

pula

tions

out

side

of 5

km

s of

a

publ

ic h

ealth

ser

vice

pro

vide

r.

Com

mun

ity h

ealth

wor

kers

to tr

eat

mal

aria

can

be

esta

blish

ed in

any

m

alar

ia e

ndem

ic a

rea

as e

xten

sion

of p

rimar

y he

alth

car

e fa

cilit

ies

care

. H

owev

er, t

hey

will

hav

e a

bigg

er

impa

ct in

are

as w

here

bur

den

of m

alar

ia (d

iseas

e an

d de

ath

espe

cial

ly in

chi

ldre

n un

der t

he a

ge

of fi

ve y

ears

) is

rela

tivel

y hi

gh. F

or

exam

ple,

are

as w

here

infe

ctio

n m

ay

be p

rese

nt in

mor

e th

an 10

% of

the

child

ren

and

whe

re a

ll ca

use

U5

mor

talit

y is

high

.

Beca

use

iCC

M is

des

igne

d to

in

crea

se a

cces

s to

car

e fo

r mal

aria

as

wel

l oth

er im

porta

nt c

hild

hood

di

seas

es, u

nder

stan

ding

co-

dist

ribut

ion

of m

alar

ia a

nd th

ese

othe

r illn

ess

is im

porta

nt to

effe

ctiv

e ta

rget

ing

of iC

CM

Info

rmat

ion

need

ed to

pla

n iC

CM

im

plem

enta

tion

incl

ude:

• loc

atio

n of

prim

ary

care

hea

lth

(PH

C) f

acili

ties;

• fu

nctio

nal c

omm

unity

ser

vice

s lin

ked

to P

HC

faci

litie

s

• su

bnat

iona

l pop

ulat

ion

dist

ribut

ion

by a

ge

• su

bnat

iona

l pre

vale

nce,

inci

denc

e,

mor

talit

y, by

age

, of m

alar

ia a

nd

othe

r iCC

M d

iseas

es

• su

bnat

iona

l tre

atm

ent s

eeki

ng

beha

viou

r for

chi

ldre

n un

der U

5

• co

st o

f iCC

M d

eliv

ery

(com

mod

ities

, lo

gist

ics,

ince

ntiv

es, t

rain

ing

etc)

• Fo

r pla

nnin

g in

terv

entio

ns to

im

prov

e m

alar

ia c

ase

man

agem

ent

in th

e pr

ivat

e se

ctor

som

e of

the

info

rmat

ion

requ

ired

are:

• di

strib

utio

n an

d ty

pe o

f dru

g ou

tlets

(a

utho

rised

and

not

) hea

lth fa

cilit

ies

• di

strib

utio

n of

trea

tmen

t see

king

in

this

sect

or

Scal

e up

of i

CCM

sho

uld

be

cons

ider

ed a

s a

way

of e

xpan

ding

ac

cess

to c

are

and

requ

ires

func

tioni

ng P

HC

faci

litie

s

They

sho

uld

be s

trate

gica

lly lo

cate

d in

pla

ces

with

hig

hest

bur

den

of

rele

vant

chi

ldho

od il

lnes

s

iCC

M p

rogr

ams

shou

ld b

e in

tegr

ated

w

ith th

e pu

blic

hea

lth s

yste

m,

incl

udin

g lo

gist

ics

and

info

rmat

ion

syst

ems

Inte

rven

tions

to im

prov

e ac

cess

to

mal

aria

cas

e m

anag

emen

t in

the

priv

ate

sect

or m

ust b

e de

signe

d in

su

ch a

way

that

they

add

val

ue to

pu

blic

hea

lth s

ervi

ces

and

conf

er

prot

ectio

n to

vul

nera

ble

hous

ehol

ds

that

bea

r the

bru

nt o

f cat

astro

phic

ex

pend

iture

Page 66: Global Malaria Programme · Malaria control and elimination efforts are guided by the Global technical strategy for malaria 2016–2030 (GTS) (4). Adopted by the World Health Assembly

60

INTE

RVEN

TIO

N TY

PEC

URRE

NT

REC

OM

MEN

DAT

ION

POLI

CY

ADAP

TATI

ON

CO

NSID

ERAT

IONS

FO

R IN

TERV

ENTI

ON

TARG

ETIN

G

ANAL

YTIC

AL C

ONS

IDER

ATIO

NS A

ND

RATI

ONA

LEKE

Y D

ATA

AND

ARE

AS F

OR

MO

NITO

RING

STRA

TEG

IC C

ONS

IDER

ATIO

NS

Cas

e m

anag

emen

t (c

ont.)

In e

limin

atio

n se

tting

s al

l cas

es m

ust

be p

rom

ptly

det

ecte

d, n

otifi

ed a

nd

inve

stig

ated

. Com

mun

ity h

ealth

w

orke

rs m

ay s

omet

imes

be

used

no

t jus

t a m

echa

nism

of i

mpr

ovin

g ac

cess

to c

are

whe

re p

opul

atio

n ar

e fa

r fro

m h

ealth

faci

litie

s bu

t as

an

appr

oach

to in

crea

sing

the

inte

nsity

of

det

ectio

n an

d su

rvei

llanc

e.

Anal

ysis

of s

ubna

tiona

l var

iatio

ns

in tr

eatm

ent s

eeki

ng in

the

priv

ate

sect

or a

s w

ell c

ost a

nd q

ualit

y of

suc

h tre

atm

ents

as

rela

ted

to m

alar

ia

are

nece

ssar

y to

dev

elop

stra

tegi

es

to in

crea

se a

cces

s to

mal

aria

cas

e m

anag

emen

t in

the

priv

ate

sect

or

• su

bnat

iona

l pre

vale

nce

and

inci

denc

e, b

y ag

e, o

f mal

aria

• C

ost a

nd q

ualit

y of

car

e in

pub

lic

and

priv

ate

sect

ors

• th

e le

vel o

f out

of p

ocke

t ex

pend

iture

by

soci

oeco

nom

ic

stat

us

• ex

istin

g re

gula

tory

mec

hani

sms,

incl

udin

g en

forc

ing

com

plia

nce

with

na

tiona

l gui

delin

es fo

r tre

atm

ent

and

repo

rtin

g

Inse

ctic

ide

trea

ted

nets

(I

TNs)

Pyre

thro

id-o

nly

LLIN

s pr

equa

lified

by

WH

O

are

reco

mm

ende

d fo

r dep

loym

ent a

s a

core

inte

rven

tion

in

all m

alar

ia-e

ndem

ic

setti

ngs.

Uni

vers

al c

over

age*

with

eff

ectiv

e ve

ctor

con

trol u

sing

a co

re in

terv

entio

n (IT

Ns

or

IRS)

is re

com

men

ded

for a

ll po

pula

tions

at r

isk o

f mal

aria

in

mos

t epi

dem

iolo

gica

l an

d ec

olog

ical

set

tings

. The

po

pula

tion

at ri

sk o

f mal

aria

m

ay in

crea

se o

r dec

reas

e be

caus

e of

cha

nges

in

mal

ario

geni

c po

tent

ial o

f a g

iven

ge

ogra

phic

al a

rea

In a

reas

of v

ery

low

rece

ptiv

ity,

LLIN

s m

ay n

ot h

ave

subs

tant

ial

impa

ct, a

nd re

sour

ce

optim

izat

ion

shou

ld ta

ke th

is in

to

acco

unt.

It is

diffi

cult

to m

easu

re re

cept

ivity

. G

ood

ento

mol

ogic

al d

ata,

pai

red

with

goo

d ep

idem

iolo

gica

l dat

a ca

n pr

ovid

e re

liabl

e in

form

atio

n on

re

cept

ivity

.

Man

y m

oder

ate

and

high

bur

den

coun

trie

s do

not

hav

e re

liabl

e en

tom

olog

ical

dat

a. H

owev

er, s

ever

al

may

hav

e go

od p

re-i

nter

vent

ion

data

on

prev

alen

ce o

f mal

aria

in

fect

ion,

whi

ch w

hen

mod

elle

d su

b-na

tiona

lly, i

s a

reas

onab

le p

roxy

of

rece

ptiv

ity.

In b

urde

n re

duct

ion

setti

ngs,

para

site

prev

alen

ce b

efor

e pe

riod

of m

ajor

sca

le u

p of

inte

rven

tions

co

uld

reas

onab

ly b

e co

nsid

ered

as

mea

sure

of r

ecep

tivity

. Pre

vale

nce

Info

rmat

ion

on p

re-i

nter

vent

ion

para

site

prev

alen

ce a

s pr

oxy

for

rece

ptiv

ity

Inve

stm

ents

in g

eosp

atia

l en

viro

nmen

tal,

epid

emio

logi

cal a

nd

ento

mol

ogic

al s

urve

illan

ce to

mic

ro-

stra

tify

in u

rban

are

as.

Info

rmat

ion

on in

sect

icid

e re

sista

nce

to d

eter

min

e se

lect

ion

of a

ppro

pria

te

net t

ype

Info

rmat

ion

on a

ccep

tabi

lity

of

ITN

s cr

itica

l to

deve

lopi

ng s

ocia

l be

havi

oral

cha

nge

com

mun

icat

ion

to im

prov

e us

e or

exp

lore

sub

stitu

tion

with

oth

er v

ecto

r con

trol i

nter

vent

ions

Anal

ysis

of e

pide

mio

logi

cal t

rend

s an

d in

terv

entio

ns c

over

age

can

help

w

ith a

naly

sis o

f pot

entia

l im

pact

of

targ

etin

g or

with

draw

ing

LLIN

s an

d or

oth

er in

terv

entio

ns in

an

area

.

In v

ery

low

rece

ptiv

ity a

nd u

rban

ar

eas

whe

re L

LIN

s m

ay n

ot b

e ta

rget

ed o

r are

with

draw

n, h

igh

leve

ls of

acc

ess

to c

ase

man

agem

ent

and

high

-qua

lity

surv

eilla

nce

syst

ems

shou

ld b

e in

pla

ce

Unl

ess

for p

urpo

ses

of re

sista

nce

miti

gatio

n, L

LIN

and

IRS

shou

ld n

ot

be ta

rget

ed to

the

sam

e po

pula

tions

. Th

e ex

cept

ion

may

be

in s

peci

fic

setti

ngs

whe

re in

the

sam

e ar

ea,

ther

e ar

e sp

ecia

l pop

ulat

ion

grou

ps

(like

fore

st w

orke

rs) w

ho m

ay b

enefi

t

Page 67: Global Malaria Programme · Malaria control and elimination efforts are guided by the Global technical strategy for malaria 2016–2030 (GTS) (4). Adopted by the World Health Assembly

WH

O T

ECH

NIC

AL B

RIEF

FO

R C

OUN

TRIE

S PR

EPAR

ING

MAL

ARIA

FUN

DIN

G R

EQUE

STS

FOR

THE

GLO

BAL

FUND

(202

0–20

22)

61

INTE

RVEN

TIO

N TY

PEC

URRE

NT

REC

OM

MEN

DAT

ION

POLI

CY

ADAP

TATI

ON

CO

NSID

ERAT

IONS

FO

R IN

TERV

ENTI

ON

TARG

ETIN

G

ANAL

YTIC

AL C

ONS

IDER

ATIO

NS A

ND

RATI

ONA

LEKE

Y D

ATA

AND

ARE

AS F

OR

MO

NITO

RING

STRA

TEG

IC C

ONS

IDER

ATIO

NS

Inse

ctic

ide

trea

ted

nets

(I

TNs)

(con

t.)

Such

are

as m

ay in

clud

e th

ose

of h

istor

ical

ly v

ery

low

/no

trans

miss

ion

such

as

thos

e w

here

clim

atic

fact

ors

are

not

optim

al fo

r mal

aria

tran

smiss

ion.

Th

ey m

ay a

lso in

clud

e ce

rtain

ur

bani

zed

area

s w

here

the

envi

ronm

ent h

as b

een

mod

ified

th

roug

h co

nstr

uctio

n an

d ot

her f

orm

s of

land

cov

er s

uch

that

ther

e is

low

pot

entia

l for

tra

nsm

issio

n.

of <

1% (o

r inc

iden

ce o

f <1 p

er

1000

pop

ulat

ion

at ri

sk) m

ay b

e co

nsid

ered

a th

resh

old

by w

hich

LL

INs

may

not

hav

e m

ajor

impa

ct.

In u

rban

are

as, m

alar

ia tr

ansm

issio

n is

likel

y to

be

high

ly c

lust

ered

and

m

icro

stra

tifica

tion

is re

quire

d to

iden

tify

clus

ters

of o

ngoi

ng

trans

miss

ion

to b

ette

r tar

get v

ecto

r co

ntro

l, in

clud

ing

LLIN

s in

stea

d of

ai

min

g fo

r uni

vers

al c

over

age

of a

ll po

pula

tions

.

A co

mbi

natio

n of

acc

epta

bilit

y of

the

inte

rven

tion,

as

wel

l as

infra

stru

ctur

e,

dem

ogra

phic

, epi

dem

iolo

gica

l, en

tom

olog

ical

and

env

ironm

enta

l da

ta c

an h

elp

with

mic

rost

ratifi

catio

n to

effe

ctiv

ely

targ

et in

terv

entio

ns.

In a

ll se

tting

s, en

tom

olog

ical

in

form

atio

n on

vec

tor s

peci

es, d

ensit

y an

d bi

onom

ics,

whe

re a

vaila

ble,

are

he

lpfu

l in

asse

ssin

g th

e ris

ks o

f not

ta

rget

ing

bed

nets

in a

n ar

ea.

Estim

ates

of p

opul

atio

ns a

t risk

as

wel

l as

data

on

rece

nt (l

ast 4

yea

rs)

dist

ribut

ion

of L

LIN

s re

quire

d fo

r qu

antifi

catio

n of

nee

d

Acce

ss a

nd u

se d

ata

by a

ge a

nd

popu

latio

n gr

oup

will

hel

p w

ith

optim

izin

g de

liver

y ch

anne

ls,

espe

cial

ly w

hen

com

bine

d w

ith

burd

en d

ata

from

thes

e po

pula

tion

grou

ps

Stat

istic

al, g

eosp

atia

l and

m

athe

mat

ical

mod

elin

g te

chni

ques

ad

d va

lue

to th

e pr

oces

s of

st

ratifi

catio

n an

d in

terv

entio

n ta

rget

ing

from

LLI

Ns

and

whe

re IR

S m

ay b

e m

ost u

se in

thei

r vill

age

of re

siden

ce.

PBO

(pip

eron

yl

buto

xide

) ITN

sPy

reth

roid

-PBO

net

s pr

equa

lified

by

WH

O

are

cond

ition

ally

re

com

men

ded

for

depl

oym

ent i

nste

ad

of p

yret

hroi

d-on

ly

ITN

s w

here

the

prin

cipa

l mal

aria

ve

ctor

(s) e

xhib

it py

reth

roid

resis

tanc

e th

at is

: a) c

onfir

med

,

Pref

erre

d ch

oice

ove

r py

reth

roid

-onl

y ne

ts if

this

will

no

t com

prom

ise c

over

age

If co

untr

ies

do n

ot h

ave

data

on

MFO

, a

prag

mat

ic a

ppro

ach

to m

axim

ise

impa

ct m

ight

be

to d

eplo

y PB

O n

ets

in a

reas

of i

nter

med

iate

resis

tanc

e w

ith th

e hi

ghes

t mal

aria

bur

den

Whe

re re

sista

nce

leve

ls ar

e hi

gh

ever

ywhe

re, a

nd re

sour

ces

are

limite

d ar

eas

of h

ighe

st b

urde

n m

ay

be c

onsid

ered

for P

BO ta

rget

ing.

Resis

tanc

e da

ta w

ith a

nd w

ithou

t M

FO fo

rms

Burd

en o

f mal

aria

(pre

vale

nce,

in

cide

nce)

as

wel

l as

all-

caus

e un

der

five

mor

talit

y ra

tes.

Thes

e ca

n ei

ther

be

look

ed a

t sep

arat

ely

or c

ombi

ned

into

a c

ompo

site

inde

x of

bur

den

Ther

e is

no s

peci

fic th

resh

old

for

clas

sifyi

ng a

reas

as

‘hig

hest

’ bur

den,

an

d th

e cu

t off

may

var

y by

cou

ntry

.

Cur

rent

ly, P

BO L

LIN

s ar

e m

ore

expe

nsiv

e th

an p

yret

hroi

d on

ly L

LIN

s.

Alth

ough

it is

ant

icip

ated

the

pric

e of

PB

O L

LIN

will

com

e do

wn

as d

eman

d in

crea

ses.

Page 68: Global Malaria Programme · Malaria control and elimination efforts are guided by the Global technical strategy for malaria 2016–2030 (GTS) (4). Adopted by the World Health Assembly

62

INTE

RVEN

TIO

N TY

PEC

URRE

NT

REC

OM

MEN

DAT

ION

POLI

CY

ADAP

TATI

ON

CO

NSID

ERAT

IONS

FO

R IN

TERV

ENTI

ON

TARG

ETIN

G

ANAL

YTIC

AL C

ONS

IDER

ATIO

NS A

ND

RATI

ONA

LEKE

Y D

ATA

AND

ARE

AS F

OR

MO

NITO

RING

STRA

TEG

IC C

ONS

IDER

ATIO

NS

PBO

(pip

eron

yl

buto

xide

) ITN

s (c

ont.)

b) o

f int

erm

edia

te

leve

l, an

d c)

co

nfer

red

(at

leas

t in

part

) by

a m

onoo

xyge

nase

-ba

sed

resis

tanc

e m

echa

nism

, as

dete

rmin

ed b

y st

anda

rd p

roce

dure

s

IRS

(indo

or

resi

dual

sp

rayi

ng)

The

depl

oym

ent

of a

n in

sect

icid

e pr

oduc

t pre

qual

ified

by

WH

O a

nd is

re

com

men

ded

as a

co

re in

terv

entio

n in

al

l mal

aria

-end

emic

se

tting

s

Exce

pt fo

r pur

pose

s of

miti

gatin

g py

reth

roid

resis

tanc

e, IR

S an

d LL

INs

shou

ld n

ot b

e ta

rget

ed

toge

ther

at t

he s

ame

popu

latio

n at

risk

.

IRS

are

very

effe

ctiv

e ag

ains

t in

door

rest

ing

vect

ors,

and

info

rmat

ion

on v

ecto

r beh

avio

r is

key

to d

eter

min

ing

whe

re to

us

e IR

S

In h

igh

trans

miss

ion

setti

ngs,

IRS

shou

ld b

e ta

rget

ed in

hi

ghes

t bur

den

area

s. In

m

ost e

limin

atio

n se

tting

s, w

here

tran

smiss

ion

is fo

cal,

IRS

rem

ains

the

core

vec

tor

cont

rol i

nter

vent

ion

to re

duce

tra

nsm

issio

n.

For p

urpo

ses

of b

urde

n re

duct

ion,

ju

st li

ke L

LIN

s, IR

S m

ay n

ot b

e co

st-e

ffect

ive

in a

reas

of v

ery

low

re

cept

ivity

. The

sam

e m

easu

res

of

rece

ptiv

ity a

pplie

d in

targ

etin

g LL

INs

can

be u

sed

for I

RS.

In m

oder

ate

and

high

mal

aria

bu

rden

cou

ntrie

s, ar

eas

of h

igh

burd

en (e

ither

from

tran

smiss

ion

pers

pect

ive

or c

ompo

site

of

trans

miss

ion,

inci

denc

e an

d m

orta

lity)

m

ay b

e th

ose

cons

ider

ed fo

r IRS

sc

ale

up.

IRS

has

may

also

be

cons

ider

ed

in e

pide

mic

pro

ne a

reas

for b

oth

prev

entio

n an

d co

ntai

nmen

t of

epid

emic

s.

In e

limin

atio

n se

tting

s, co

untr

ies

may

co

nsid

er m

aint

aini

ng IR

S in

resid

ual

non-

activ

e an

d ac

tive

foci

dep

endi

ng

on th

e co

untr

y co

ntex

t and

risk

of

rebo

und

if IR

S is

with

draw

n.

Sim

ilar d

ata

requ

ired

for L

LIN

ta

rget

ing

are

also

nee

ded

here

In a

dditi

on, r

esist

ance

dat

a on

va

rious

inse

ctic

ides

use

d fo

r res

idua

l sp

rayi

ng is

nee

ded

to s

elec

t the

righ

t in

sect

icid

es.

Giv

en th

e co

st a

nd c

ompl

exity

of

impl

emen

ting

IRS

in h

igh

burd

en

setti

ngs

the

follo

win

g co

nsid

erat

ion

shou

ld b

e m

ade

befo

re d

ecid

ing

on

its s

cale

up:

• O

vera

ll co

st a

nd s

usta

inab

ility

• Fi

nanc

ing

impl

icat

ions

for

achi

evin

g ta

rget

s fo

r oth

er p

rimar

y in

terv

entio

ns

• C

apac

ity to

man

age

inse

ctic

ide

resis

tanc

e an

d co

st

• C

omm

unity

acc

epta

bilit

y

• A

clea

r tra

nsiti

on p

lan,

incl

udin

g as

sess

men

t of p

oten

tial r

ebou

nd, i

f a

deci

sion

is m

ade

to s

cale

bac

k IR

S

Page 69: Global Malaria Programme · Malaria control and elimination efforts are guided by the Global technical strategy for malaria 2016–2030 (GTS) (4). Adopted by the World Health Assembly

WH

O T

ECH

NIC

AL B

RIEF

FO

R C

OUN

TRIE

S PR

EPAR

ING

MAL

ARIA

FUN

DIN

G R

EQUE

STS

FOR

THE

GLO

BAL

FUND

(202

0–20

22)

63

INTE

RVEN

TIO

N TY

PEC

URRE

NT

REC

OM

MEN

DAT

ION

POLI

CY

ADAP

TATI

ON

CO

NSID

ERAT

IONS

FO

R IN

TERV

ENTI

ON

TARG

ETIN

G

ANAL

YTIC

AL C

ONS

IDER

ATIO

NS A

ND

RATI

ONA

LEKE

Y D

ATA

AND

ARE

AS F

OR

MO

NITO

RING

STRA

TEG

IC C

ONS

IDER

ATIO

NS

Larv

icid

ing

The

regu

lar

appl

icat

ion

of

biol

ogic

al o

r ch

emic

al in

sect

icid

es

to w

ater

bod

ies

(larv

icid

ing)

is

reco

mm

ende

d as

a

supp

lem

enta

ry

inte

rven

tion

in

area

s w

here

hig

h co

vera

ge w

ith a

co

re in

terv

entio

n ha

s be

en a

chie

ved,

w

here

aqu

atic

ha

bita

ts o

f the

pr

inci

pal m

alar

ia

vect

or(s

) are

few

, fix

ed a

nd fi

ndab

le,

and

whe

re it

s ap

plic

atio

n is

both

fe

asib

le a

nd c

ost-

effec

tive.

It is

a fo

rm o

f lar

val s

ourc

e m

anag

emen

t (LS

M).

In m

any

mal

aria

end

emic

co

untr

ies,

part

icul

arly

in

mod

erat

e an

d hi

gh tr

ansm

issio

n ar

eas

whe

re c

ondi

tions

for

trans

miss

ion

exist

thro

ugho

ut

the

year

and

whe

re p

oten

tial

bree

ding

site

s ar

e nu

mer

ous

and

trans

ient

, lar

vici

ding

is u

nlike

ly to

be

effe

ctiv

e an

d co

uld

cons

ume

a lo

t of r

esou

rces

to a

chie

ve h

igh

cove

rage

.

As s

uch,

it is

mor

e re

ason

able

to

targ

et u

rban

are

as, g

iven

the

confi

ned

natu

re o

f suc

h sp

aces

an

d le

nd th

emse

lves

to e

asie

r ge

ospa

tial a

nd la

rval

hab

itat

surv

eilla

nce.

Larv

icid

ing

may

also

be

used

to

com

plem

ent e

ffort

s to

miti

gate

tra

nsm

issio

n du

ring

larg

e in

frast

ruct

ure

deve

lopm

ent

activ

ities

, suc

h as

, roa

ds, d

ams

etc.

Geo

spat

ial s

urve

illan

ce o

f pot

entia

l br

eedi

ng s

ites

Goo

d en

tom

olog

ical

sur

veill

ance

Rem

otel

y se

nsed

dat

a on

bui

lt en

viro

nmen

t and

pot

entia

l bre

edin

g sit

es a

nd th

eir s

easo

nal v

aria

tions

Ento

mol

ogic

al d

ata

on ty

pes

of

mos

quito

spe

cies

and

thei

r rol

e in

m

alar

ia tr

ansm

issio

n

Whe

reve

r lar

vici

ding

is d

eplo

yed

to a

dd to

the

limite

d ev

iden

ce

avai

labl

e on

its

effec

tiven

ess,

a go

od m

onito

ring

and

eval

uatio

n fra

mew

ork

shou

ld b

e pu

t in

plac

e to

as

sess

impa

ct.

Lar

vici

ding

for m

alar

ia c

ontro

l cou

ld

idea

lly b

e do

ne th

roug

h w

ider

effo

rts

to c

ontro

l vec

tor b

orne

dise

ases

Dep

loym

ent o

f lar

vici

ding

(and

LSM

m

ore

gene

rally

) wou

ld b

enefi

t fro

m

rigor

ous

eval

uatio

n to

doc

umen

t ep

idem

iolo

gica

l im

pact

, so

as to

in

form

upd

ates

to W

HO

pol

icy

guid

ance

in th

is ar

ea o

f wea

k ev

iden

ce.

Larv

icid

ing

for m

alar

ia c

ontro

l cou

ld

idea

lly b

e do

ne th

roug

h w

ider

effo

rts

to c

ontro

l vec

tor b

orne

dise

ases

Oth

er la

rval

sou

rce

man

agem

ent

com

bine

d w

ith la

rvic

idin

g co

uld

be

a m

ore

effec

tive

appr

oach

. The

se

incl

ude:

• ha

bita

t mod

ifica

tion:

a p

erm

anen

t al

tera

tion

to th

e en

viro

nmen

t, e.

g. la

nd re

clam

atio

n;

• ha

bita

t man

ipul

atio

n: a

recu

rren

t ac

tivity

, e.g

. flus

hing

of s

tream

s;

• bi

olog

ical

con

trol:

the

intro

duct

ion

of n

atur

al p

reda

tors

into

wat

er

bodi

es.

Page 70: Global Malaria Programme · Malaria control and elimination efforts are guided by the Global technical strategy for malaria 2016–2030 (GTS) (4). Adopted by the World Health Assembly

64

INTE

RVEN

TIO

N TY

PEC

URRE

NT

REC

OM

MEN

DAT

ION

POLI

CY

ADAP

TATI

ON

CO

NSID

ERAT

IONS

FO

R IN

TERV

ENTI

ON

TARG

ETIN

G

ANAL

YTIC

AL C

ONS

IDER

ATIO

NS A

ND

RATI

ONA

LEKE

Y D

ATA

AND

ARE

AS F

OR

MO

NITO

RING

STRA

TEG

IC C

ONS

IDER

ATIO

NS

SMC

(sea

sona

l m

alar

ia c

hem

o-pr

even

tion)

In a

reas

with

hig

hly

seas

onal

mal

aria

tra

nsm

issio

n in

the

sub-

Sahe

l reg

ion

of A

fric

a, p

rovi

de

seas

onal

mal

aria

ch

emop

reve

ntio

n (S

MC

) with

mon

thly

am

odia

quin

e +

SP

for a

ll ch

ildre

n ag

ed

< 6

year

s du

ring

each

tran

smiss

ion

seas

on.

SMC

is c

urre

ntly

impl

emen

ted

in a

reas

with

sig

nific

ant

mal

aria

sea

sona

lity

in th

e Sa

hel (

betw

een

the

Saha

ra to

th

e no

rth

and

the

Suda

nese

Sa

vann

a to

the

sout

h) a

nd in

the

sava

nnah

are

as o

f Cen

tral a

nd

Wes

t Afr

ican

cou

ntrie

s w

here

m

ore

than

60%

of t

he a

nnua

l in

cide

nce

of m

alar

ia o

ccur

s w

ithin

4 m

onth

s an

d w

here

SP

and

AQ re

tain

thei

r ant

imal

aria

l effi

cacy

. SM

C is

unl

ikely

to b

e co

st-e

ffect

ive

at a

n in

cide

nce

rate

bel

ow 0

.1 ep

isode

s pe

r chi

ld

per s

easo

n.

Whe

re ro

utin

e da

ta a

re u

sed,

car

e sh

ould

be

take

n th

at th

ese

are

adju

sted

for t

estin

g, re

port

ing

and

treat

men

t see

king

rate

so

that

an

estim

ate

clos

e to

the

true

pop

ulat

ion

inci

denc

e ca

n be

qua

ntifi

ed.

Furt

herm

ore,

cau

tion

is re

quire

d w

hen

usin

g re

cent

dat

a w

hich

may

in

clud

e th

e im

pact

of S

MC

as

thes

e m

ay e

xclu

de a

reas

whe

re in

cide

nce

has

redu

ced

due

to S

MC

To d

efine

tran

smiss

ion

thre

shol

ds

for S

MC

whe

re in

cide

nce

data

is

unre

liabl

e or

una

vaila

ble,

par

asite

pr

eval

ence

cou

ld b

e us

ed in

stea

d fo

r mos

t sub

Sah

aran

Afr

ica

coun

trie

s. A

thre

shol

d of

>5%

par

asite

pr

eval

ence

in th

e U

5 ag

e gr

oup

may

be

con

sider

ed. S

uch

info

rmat

ion

is av

aila

ble

from

hou

seho

ld s

urve

ys o

r pa

rasit

e pr

eval

ence

map

s m

odel

ed

used

sta

tistic

al m

etho

ds.

Whe

re s

urve

illan

ce d

ata

is un

relia

ble

to q

uant

ify s

easo

nalit

y in

inci

denc

e,

60%

of ra

infa

ll in

4 c

onse

cutiv

e m

onth

s is

a re

ason

able

sub

stitu

te.

Rain

fall

seas

onal

ity d

ata

may

be

ava

ilabl

e fro

m n

atio

nal

met

ereo

logi

cal d

epar

tmen

ts, b

ut

thes

e ar

e of

ten

from

few

wea

ther

st

atio

ns th

at d

o no

t allo

w fo

r es

timat

ion

of s

easo

nalit

y in

eac

h su

bnat

iona

l uni

t. C

ombi

ning

thes

e da

ta w

ith s

atel

lite

deriv

ed ra

infa

ll da

ta a

vaila

ble

onlin

e sh

ould

be

cons

ider

ed.

Rout

ine

case

dat

a to

qua

ntify

in

cide

nce

Dat

a on

test

ing,

repo

rtin

g an

d tre

atm

ent s

eeki

ng ra

tes

to a

djus

t ro

utin

e ca

se d

ata

Subn

atio

nal m

odel

ed e

stim

ates

of

para

site

prev

alen

ce

Met

eoro

logi

cal a

nd o

nlin

e m

onth

ly

rain

fall

data

Info

rmat

ion

on p

ast S

MC

sca

le u

p an

d ot

her i

nter

vent

ions

that

may

ha

ve im

pact

ed o

n se

ason

ality

of

case

s

Dat

a on

SP

and

AQ e

ffica

cy a

nd

mol

ecul

ar m

arke

rs o

f res

istan

ce

Whe

re C

HW

s ar

e in

pla

ce, i

nvol

ving

th

em in

SM

C c

ampa

igns

may

be

a co

st-e

ffect

ive

appr

oach

but

this

requ

ires

care

ful m

onito

ring

Com

plia

nce

with

all

SP+A

Q d

oses

re

mai

ns a

maj

or c

halle

nge

to S

MC

im

pact

. Car

eful

com

mun

icat

ion

stra

tegi

es a

re re

quire

d to

ens

ure

adhe

renc

e

Man

y co

untr

ies

are

faci

ng

diffi

culti

es a

sses

sing

the

impa

ct o

f SM

C fr

om ro

utin

e da

ta. T

here

fore

, th

is in

terv

entio

n, li

ke a

ll ot

her

inte

rven

tions

, sho

uld

be u

nder

pinn

ed

by a

goo

d m

onito

ring

and

eval

uatio

n fra

mew

ork.

Con

tinuo

us m

onito

ring

of S

P an

d AQ

effi

cacy

in c

lear

ing

para

sites

is c

ritic

al

Page 71: Global Malaria Programme · Malaria control and elimination efforts are guided by the Global technical strategy for malaria 2016–2030 (GTS) (4). Adopted by the World Health Assembly

WH

O T

ECH

NIC

AL B

RIEF

FO

R C

OUN

TRIE

S PR

EPAR

ING

MAL

ARIA

FUN

DIN

G R

EQUE

STS

FOR

THE

GLO

BAL

FUND

(202

0–20

22)

65

INTE

RVEN

TIO

N TY

PEC

URRE

NT

REC

OM

MEN

DAT

ION

POLI

CY

ADAP

TATI

ON

CO

NSID

ERAT

IONS

FO

R IN

TERV

ENTI

ON

TARG

ETIN

G

ANAL

YTIC

AL C

ONS

IDER

ATIO

NS A

ND

RATI

ONA

LEKE

Y D

ATA

AND

ARE

AS F

OR

MO

NITO

RING

STRA

TEG

IC C

ONS

IDER

ATIO

NS

SMC

(sea

sona

l m

alar

ia c

hem

o-pr

even

tion)

(c

ont.)

Perio

ds o

f unu

sual

dro

ught

or r

ainf

all

can

caus

e an

omal

ies

in s

easo

nalit

y an

d da

ta fr

om a

t lea

st fi

ve y

ears

sh

ould

be

used

to d

efine

rain

fall

seas

onal

ity.

A de

cisio

n to

exp

and

the

age

rang

e fo

r SM

C to

chi

ldre

n be

low

10 y

ears

of

age

in S

MC

elig

ible

are

as s

houl

d be

bas

ed o

n ev

iden

ce s

how

ing

subs

tant

ial i

ncid

ence

in th

is ag

e gr

oup.

As

this

is ab

ove

the

age

limit

of 5

yea

rs re

com

men

ded

by W

HO

, ex

pans

ion

of a

ge ra

nge

shou

ld n

ot

com

prom

ise h

igh

cove

rage

in U

5 ch

ildre

n, th

e m

ost v

ulne

rabl

e ag

e-gr

oup.

If th

e ag

e ra

nge

is ex

pand

ed, a

goo

d ev

alua

tion

fram

ewor

k sh

ould

be

esta

blish

ed to

ass

ess

impa

ct.

IPTp

(in

term

itten

t pr

even

tive

trea

tmen

t in

preg

nanc

y)

In m

alar

ia-e

ndem

ic

area

s in

Afr

ica,

pr

ovid

e in

term

itten

t pr

even

tive

treat

men

t w

ith S

P to

all

wom

en

in th

eir fi

rst o

r sec

ond

preg

nanc

y (S

P-IP

Tp)

as p

art o

f ant

enat

al

care

. Dos

ing

shou

ld

star

t in

the

seco

nd

trim

este

r and

dos

es

shou

ld b

e gi

ven

at

leas

t 1 m

onth

apa

rt,

with

the

obje

ctiv

e of

en

surin

g th

at a

t lea

st

3 do

ses

are

rece

ived

.

Cur

rent

gui

delin

es (w

ww

.who

.int/

repr

oduc

tiveh

ealth

/pub

licat

ions

/m

ater

nal_

perin

atal

_hea

lth/a

nc-

posit

ive-

preg

nanc

y-ex

perie

nce/

en/)

reco

mm

end

ante

nata

l car

e m

odel

s w

ith a

min

imum

of e

ight

co

ntac

ts.

Cou

ntrie

s th

at h

ave

rece

ntly

redu

ced

thei

r tra

nsm

issio

n su

bsta

ntia

lly s

houl

d no

t disc

ontin

ue IP

Tp

Info

rmat

ion

that

can

hel

p st

ratif

y su

b-na

tiona

lly th

e co

vera

ge o

f AN

C

by v

isit i

s cr

itica

l to

optim

izin

g an

d sc

alin

g up

IPTp

. Suc

h in

form

atio

n ca

n be

obt

aine

d fro

m a

com

bina

tion

of

rout

ine

and

hous

ehol

d su

rvey

dat

a.

Subn

atio

nal e

stim

ates

of b

urde

n of

mal

aria

suc

h as

inci

denc

e an

d pa

rasit

e pr

eval

ence

Subn

atio

nal A

NC

cov

erag

e da

ta

Info

rmat

ion

on fe

rtili

ty ra

tes

to d

efine

ex

pect

ed p

regn

anci

es s

ub-n

atio

nally

Info

rmat

ion

on n

umbe

r of w

omen

re

ceiv

ing

IPTp

by

dose

at h

ealth

fa

cilit

ies.

Com

bine

d w

ith d

ata

on

expe

cted

pre

gnan

cies

, IPT

p co

vera

ge

in th

e po

pula

tion

can

be e

stim

ated

.

IPTp

with

SP

is a

low

cos

t and

effi

caci

ous

inte

rven

tion

to a

vert

the

cons

eque

nces

of m

alar

ia in

pr

egna

ncy

to m

othe

r and

chi

ld.

Con

tinuo

us S

P re

sista

nce

mon

itorin

g is

need

ed, p

artic

ular

ly o

f sex

tupl

e m

utat

ions

INTE

RVEN

TIO

N TY

PEC

URRE

NT

REC

OM

MEN

DAT

ION

POLI

CY

ADAP

TATI

ON

CO

NSID

ERAT

IONS

FO

R IN

TERV

ENTI

ON

TARG

ETIN

G

ANAL

YTIC

AL C

ONS

IDER

ATIO

NS A

ND

RATI

ONA

LEKE

Y D

ATA

AND

ARE

AS F

OR

MO

NITO

RING

STRA

TEG

IC C

ONS

IDER

ATIO

NS

SMC

(sea

sona

l m

alar

ia c

hem

o-pr

even

tion)

In a

reas

with

hig

hly

seas

onal

mal

aria

tra

nsm

issio

n in

the

sub-

Sahe

l reg

ion

of A

fric

a, p

rovi

de

seas

onal

mal

aria

ch

emop

reve

ntio

n (S

MC

) with

mon

thly

am

odia

quin

e +

SP

for a

ll ch

ildre

n ag

ed

< 6

year

s du

ring

each

tran

smiss

ion

seas

on.

SMC

is c

urre

ntly

impl

emen

ted

in a

reas

with

sig

nific

ant

mal

aria

sea

sona

lity

in th

e Sa

hel (

betw

een

the

Saha

ra to

th

e no

rth

and

the

Suda

nese

Sa

vann

a to

the

sout

h) a

nd in

the

sava

nnah

are

as o

f Cen

tral a

nd

Wes

t Afr

ican

cou

ntrie

s w

here

m

ore

than

60%

of t

he a

nnua

l in

cide

nce

of m

alar

ia o

ccur

s w

ithin

4 m

onth

s an

d w

here

SP

and

AQ re

tain

thei

r ant

imal

aria

l effi

cacy

. SM

C is

unl

ikely

to b

e co

st-e

ffect

ive

at a

n in

cide

nce

rate

bel

ow 0

.1 ep

isode

s pe

r chi

ld

per s

easo

n.

Whe

re ro

utin

e da

ta a

re u

sed,

car

e sh

ould

be

take

n th

at th

ese

are

adju

sted

for t

estin

g, re

port

ing

and

treat

men

t see

king

rate

so

that

an

estim

ate

clos

e to

the

true

pop

ulat

ion

inci

denc

e ca

n be

qua

ntifi

ed.

Furt

herm

ore,

cau

tion

is re

quire

d w

hen

usin

g re

cent

dat

a w

hich

may

in

clud

e th

e im

pact

of S

MC

as

thes

e m

ay e

xclu

de a

reas

whe

re in

cide

nce

has

redu

ced

due

to S

MC

To d

efine

tran

smiss

ion

thre

shol

ds

for S

MC

whe

re in

cide

nce

data

is

unre

liabl

e or

una

vaila

ble,

par

asite

pr

eval

ence

cou

ld b

e us

ed in

stea

d fo

r mos

t sub

Sah

aran

Afr

ica

coun

trie

s. A

thre

shol

d of

>5%

par

asite

pr

eval

ence

in th

e U

5 ag

e gr

oup

may

be

con

sider

ed. S

uch

info

rmat

ion

is av

aila

ble

from

hou

seho

ld s

urve

ys o

r pa

rasit

e pr

eval

ence

map

s m

odel

ed

used

sta

tistic

al m

etho

ds.

Whe

re s

urve

illan

ce d

ata

is un

relia

ble

to q

uant

ify s

easo

nalit

y in

inci

denc

e,

60%

of ra

infa

ll in

4 c

onse

cutiv

e m

onth

s is

a re

ason

able

sub

stitu

te.

Rain

fall

seas

onal

ity d

ata

may

be

ava

ilabl

e fro

m n

atio

nal

met

ereo

logi

cal d

epar

tmen

ts, b

ut

thes

e ar

e of

ten

from

few

wea

ther

st

atio

ns th

at d

o no

t allo

w fo

r es

timat

ion

of s

easo

nalit

y in

eac

h su

bnat

iona

l uni

t. C

ombi

ning

thes

e da

ta w

ith s

atel

lite

deriv

ed ra

infa

ll da

ta a

vaila

ble

onlin

e sh

ould

be

cons

ider

ed.

Rout

ine

case

dat

a to

qua

ntify

in

cide

nce

Dat

a on

test

ing,

repo

rtin

g an

d tre

atm

ent s

eeki

ng ra

tes

to a

djus

t ro

utin

e ca

se d

ata

Subn

atio

nal m

odel

ed e

stim

ates

of

para

site

prev

alen

ce

Met

eoro

logi

cal a

nd o

nlin

e m

onth

ly

rain

fall

data

Info

rmat

ion

on p

ast S

MC

sca

le u

p an

d ot

her i

nter

vent

ions

that

may

ha

ve im

pact

ed o

n se

ason

ality

of

case

s

Dat

a on

SP

and

AQ e

ffica

cy a

nd

mol

ecul

ar m

arke

rs o

f res

istan

ce

Whe

re C

HW

s ar

e in

pla

ce, i

nvol

ving

th

em in

SM

C c

ampa

igns

may

be

a co

st-e

ffect

ive

appr

oach

but

this

requ

ires

care

ful m

onito

ring

Com

plia

nce

with

all

SP+A

Q d

oses

re

mai

ns a

maj

or c

halle

nge

to S

MC

im

pact

. Car

eful

com

mun

icat

ion

stra

tegi

es a

re re

quire

d to

ens

ure

adhe

renc

e

Man

y co

untr

ies

are

faci

ng

diffi

culti

es a

sses

sing

the

impa

ct o

f SM

C fr

om ro

utin

e da

ta. T

here

fore

, th

is in

terv

entio

n, li

ke a

ll ot

her

inte

rven

tions

, sho

uld

be u

nder

pinn

ed

by a

goo

d m

onito

ring

and

eval

uatio

n fra

mew

ork.

Con

tinuo

us m

onito

ring

of S

P an

d AQ

effi

cacy

in c

lear

ing

para

sites

is c

ritic

al

Page 72: Global Malaria Programme · Malaria control and elimination efforts are guided by the Global technical strategy for malaria 2016–2030 (GTS) (4). Adopted by the World Health Assembly

66

INTE

RVEN

TIO

N TY

PEC

URRE

NT

REC

OM

MEN

DAT

ION

POLI

CY

ADAP

TATI

ON

CO

NSID

ERAT

IONS

FO

R IN

TERV

ENTI

ON

TARG

ETIN

G

ANAL

YTIC

AL C

ONS

IDER

ATIO

NS A

ND

RATI

ONA

LEKE

Y D

ATA

AND

ARE

AS F

OR

MO

NITO

RING

STRA

TEG

IC C

ONS

IDER

ATIO

NS

IPTi

(int

erm

itten

t pr

even

tive

trea

tmen

t of

infa

nts)

In a

reas

of

mod

erat

e-to

-hig

h m

alar

ia tr

ansm

issio

n in

Afr

ica,

whe

re

SP is

stil

l effe

ctiv

e,

prov

ide

inte

rmitt

ent

prev

entiv

e tre

atm

ent

with

SP

to in

fant

s (<

12 m

onth

s of

age

) (S

P-IP

Ti) a

t the

tim

e of

the

seco

nd

and

third

roun

ds o

f va

ccin

atio

n ag

ains

t D

TP a

nd v

acci

natio

n ag

ains

t mea

sles.

In re

cent

tim

es, a

s m

ost

coun

trie

s ha

ve b

ecom

e re

liant

on

AC

Ts (w

ithou

t SP)

for

mal

aria

cas

e m

anag

emen

t, fe

w a

re m

onito

ring

leve

ls of

SP

resis

tanc

e.

For p

ract

ical

pur

pose

s, co

untr

ies

can

use

para

site

prev

alen

ce th

resh

old

of >

10%

to d

efine

are

as th

at h

ave

suita

ble

trans

miss

ion

for I

PTi.

In a

reas

whe

re p

reva

lenc

e Pf

dhps

54

0 is

grea

ter t

han

50%

and

less

th

an 9

0% c

ount

ries

are

enco

urag

ed

to a

sses

s th

e effi

cacy

of I

PTi-

SP in

ch

ildre

n un

der 1

bef

ore

cons

ider

ing

scal

e-up

.

Mod

eled

est

imat

es o

f tra

nsm

issio

n an

d bu

rden

Subn

atio

nal e

stim

ates

of S

P re

sista

nce,

bas

ed o

n m

olec

ular

m

arke

rs

Subn

atio

nal e

stim

ates

of E

PI

cove

rage

(esp

ecia

lly D

PT2,

3 a

nd

mea

sles)

Dist

ribut

ion

of p

opul

atio

n of

infa

nts

An e

valu

atio

n fra

mew

ork

shou

ld

be e

stab

lishe

d to

ass

ess

impa

ct.

Idea

lly th

is sh

ould

incl

ude

both

un

com

plic

ated

and

sev

ere

case

s as

w

ell a

naem

ia in

infa

nts.

Mas

s dr

ug

adm

inis

trat

ion

(MD

A)

Ther

e is

no fo

rmal

reco

mm

enda

tion

for M

DA.

WH

O’s

curr

ent p

ositi

on is

bas

ed o

n hi

stor

ical

doc

umen

ts,

upda

ted

by tw

o Ex

pert

Revi

ew G

roup

s (E

RG).

The

2015

ER

G’s

repo

rt (h

ttps:

//w

ww

.who

.int/

mal

aria

/mpa

c/m

pac-

sept

2015

-erg

-mda

-rep

ort.p

df) w

as fu

rthe

r en

dors

ed b

y M

PAC

in S

epte

mbe

r 201

5. A

sec

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ERG

(O

ctob

er 2

018

(http

s://

ww

w.w

ho.in

t/m

alar

ia/m

pac/

mpa

c-ap

ril20

19-s

essio

n7-e

rg-m

ass-

adm

nist

ratio

n-dr

ug-r

epor

t.pd)

), in

trodu

ced

som

e m

inor

mod

ifica

tions

. Th

ese

wer

e ev

alua

ted

by M

PAC

(Apr

il 20

19) w

hich

re

ques

ted

the

upda

ted

reco

mm

enda

tions

be

proc

esse

d th

roug

h th

e G

uide

lines

Rev

iew

Com

mitt

ee. T

his

is cu

rren

tly b

eing

pla

nned

.

The

curr

ent M

DA

impl

emen

tatio

n m

anua

l (ht

tps:

//w

ww

.w

ho.in

t/do

cs/d

efau

lt-so

urce

/doc

umen

ts/p

ublic

atio

ns/

gmp/

mas

s-dr

ug-a

dmin

istra

tion-

for-

falc

ipar

um-

mal

aria

.pdf

) enc

oura

ges

cons

ider

atio

n of

this

inte

rven

tion

as fo

llow

s:

• M

alar

ia e

pide

mio

logy

– b

urde

n by

par

asite

spe

cie

• In

form

atio

n co

vera

ge o

f oth

er in

terv

entio

ns•

Leve

l and

pat

tern

s of

tran

smiss

ion

inte

nsity

• Re

leva

nt d

rug

resis

tanc

e da

ta•

Leve

ls an

d lo

catio

n of

epi

dem

ics

and

com

plex

em

erge

ncie

s•

Popu

latio

n se

ttlem

ents

, dem

ogra

phic

str

uctu

re, o

ccup

atio

n•

Hum

an p

opul

atio

n m

ovem

ents

, esp

ecia

lly in

elim

inat

ion

setti

ngs

To d

emon

stra

te im

pact

, MD

A m

ust b

e im

plem

ente

d at

hig

h co

vera

ge.

Clo

se m

onito

ring

of e

ffica

cy o

f dru

gs

used

in M

DA

is re

quire

d to

miti

gate

ag

ains

t spr

ead

of re

sista

nce

Page 73: Global Malaria Programme · Malaria control and elimination efforts are guided by the Global technical strategy for malaria 2016–2030 (GTS) (4). Adopted by the World Health Assembly

WH

O T

ECH

NIC

AL B

RIEF

FO

R C

OUN

TRIE

S PR

EPAR

ING

MAL

ARIA

FUN

DIN

G R

EQUE

STS

FOR

THE

GLO

BAL

FUND

(202

0–20

22)

67

INTE

RVEN

TIO

N TY

PEC

URRE

NT

REC

OM

MEN

DAT

ION

POLI

CY

ADAP

TATI

ON

CO

NSID

ERAT

IONS

FO

R IN

TERV

ENTI

ON

TARG

ETIN

G

ANAL

YTIC

AL C

ONS

IDER

ATIO

NS A

ND

RATI

ONA

LEKE

Y D

ATA

AND

ARE

AS F

OR

MO

NITO

RING

STRA

TEG

IC C

ONS

IDER

ATIO

NS

Mas

s dr

ug

adm

inis

trat

ion

(MD

A) (c

ont.)

Use

of M

DA

to in

terr

upt t

rans

miss

ion

of fa

lcip

arum

m

alar

ia m

ay b

e co

nsid

ered

in a

reas

app

roac

hing

el

imin

atio

n, p

rovi

ded

ther

e is

good

acc

ess

to tr

eatm

ent,

effec

tive

vect

or c

ontro

l mea

sure

s an

d su

rvei

llanc

e an

d m

inim

al ri

sk o

f re-

intro

duct

ion

of in

fect

ion.

Giv

en th

e th

reat

of m

ultid

rug

resis

tanc

e, M

DA

may

be

con

sider

ed a

com

pone

nt m

alar

ia e

limin

atio

n eff

ort i

n th

e G

reat

er M

ekon

g su

b re

gion

, in

area

s w

ith

good

acc

ess

to tr

eatm

ent,

vect

or c

ontro

l and

goo

d su

rvei

llanc

e.

In th

e ca

se o

f mal

aria

epi

dem

ics,

MD

A ca

n be

an

initi

al

part

of th

e co

ntai

nmen

t mea

sure

s to

rapi

dly

redu

ce

mal

aria

mor

bidi

ty a

nd m

orta

lity,

alon

g w

ith th

e ur

gent

in

trodu

ctio

n of

oth

er c

ontro

l mea

sure

s.

In e

xcep

tiona

l com

plex

em

erge

ncie

s w

hen

the

heal

th

syst

em is

ove

rwhe

lmed

and

una

ble

to s

erve

the

heal

th

need

s of

the

popu

latio

n, M

DA

may

be

cons

ider

ed to

re

duce

mal

aria

mor

bidi

ty a

nd m

orta

lity.

Mas

s pr

imaq

uine

pro

phyl

actic

trea

tmen

t, re

quiri

ng

pre-

seas

onal

MD

A w

ith d

aily

adm

inist

ratio

n of

pr

imaq

uine

for t

wo

wee

ks w

ithou

t glu

cose

-6-p

hosp

hate

de

hydr

ogen

ase

(G6P

D) t

estin

g, is

not

reco

mm

ende

d fo

r th

e in

terr

uptio

n of

viv

ax tr

ansm

issio

n.

With

dia

gnos

tic te

sts

curr

ently

ava

ilabl

e, m

ass

scre

enin

g an

d tre

atm

ent (

MSA

T) a

nd fo

cal s

cree

ning

and

tre

atm

ent (

FSAT

) are

not

reco

mm

ende

d in

terv

entio

ns to

in

terr

upt m

alar

ia tr

ansm

issio

n.

See

sect

ions

5.4

and

7.3.

5 fo

r fur

ther

info

rmat

ion.

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68

Page 75: Global Malaria Programme · Malaria control and elimination efforts are guided by the Global technical strategy for malaria 2016–2030 (GTS) (4). Adopted by the World Health Assembly

WH

O T

ECH

NIC

AL B

RIEF

FO

R C

OUN

TRIE

S PR

EPAR

ING

MAL

ARIA

FUN

DIN

G R

EQUE

STS

FOR

THE

GLO

BAL

FUND

(202

0–20

22)

69

WHO guidance for countries preparing malaria concept notes for The Global Fund (2020 2022)

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