The framework recommends expanded coverage of malaria diagnostic and treatment services, intensified vector control to drive down transmission, strengthened malaria surveillance, and increased transborder collaboration, especially in terms of efforts to control the sale and use of artemisinin monoth...erapies. Since it is unlikely that national malaria control programs will be able to implement all the activities described in this framework simultaneously, a list of suggested priority activities has been included in the Annex.
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According to the WHO, there were an estimated 251 million malaria cases (95% of global cases) and 579,414 malaria deaths (97% of global deaths) in African Union Member States in 2023. 76% of these deaths were children under the age of five.
Offering additional pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) choices has the potential to increase uptake and effective use of PrEP, and of HIV prevention overall, as it allows people to choose a method that they prefer.
In this guideline, WHO recommends an offering long-acting injectable lenacapavir (LEN...) as an additional HIV prevention choice, as part of combination HIV prevention approaches. LEN, administered twice a year as PrEP, has been shown to be highly effective at reducing the risk of HIV acquisition. In this guideline, WHO also recommends using HIV rapid diagnostic tests (RDTs) for individuals initiating or continuing long-acting injectable PrEP, such as LEN and long acting injectable cabotegravir (CAB-LA). Flexible HIV testing approaches are essential for ensuring that testing does not become a barrier to accessing or continuing PrEP, including long-acting injectable options.
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Guidelines on lenacapavir for HIV prevention and testing strategies for long-acting injectable pre-exposure prophylaxis. Web Annex B
The Ghana National Malaria Strategic Plan 2021–2025 aims to reduce malaria mortality by 90% and malaria cases by 50% (using 2019 as baseline) and to achieve pre-elimination in at least six districts by 2025. The plan focuses on scaling up prevention measures like distributing insecticide-treated n...ets, indoor residual spraying, seasonal chemoprevention, and prevention in pregnancy. It also emphasizes universal access to prompt diagnosis and effective treatment, strengthening health system governance, improving supply chains, mobilizing resources, and enhancing surveillance. Special attention is given to vulnerable groups and high-burden areas to ensure equity and sustainability in the fight against malaria.
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The National Malaria Elimination Strategic Plan (NMESP) 2024–2028 of Ghana outlines the country’s roadmap to shift from malaria control to elimination. Despite major progress—like reducing malaria deaths from nearly 2,800 in 2012 to 151 in 2022—malaria remains a major public health challenge... in Ghana.
The plan aims to reduce malaria deaths by 90% and cases by 50% by 2028 (compared to 2022), and to eliminate malaria entirely in 21 low-burden districts. It includes a mix of interventions such as insecticide-treated nets, indoor residual spraying, seasonal chemoprevention, malaria vaccination, and strong surveillance systems.
The strategy is tailored to the local malaria burden, promotes community engagement, relies on multisectoral partnerships, and ensures adequate resource mobilization. Its ultimate goal is to protect Ghana’s population, improve public health, and support the country’s socioeconomic development.
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The National Strategic Plan on Malaria Prevention and Elimination Period 2021 – 2025 seeks to build on the previous national successes of the National Institute of Malariology, Parasitology, and Entomology (NIMPE) while addressing current challenges to reduce the overall burden of malaria in the S...outhern and Central provinces and to initiate elimination activities in remaining focal areas of transmission throughout the country. The overall targets proposed to be reached by 2025 are:
Reduce malaria morbidity rate to below 0.015/1,000 population
Reduce malaria mortality rate to below 0.002/100,000 population
Eliminate malaria in 55 provinces
Ensure no malaria outbreaks
To address the urgent threat of drug resistance, Viet Nam has committed to accelerate efforts to eliminate locally-acquired P. falciparum by 2023.
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This toolkit suggests several approaches to addressing technology
access disparities. At its core is a comprehensive checklist that helps
teams systematically evaluate their current practices and identify
opportunities for improvement. This structured self-assessment
tool spans both team-level a...ctions and organisational responsibilities,
recognising that change must occur at multiple levels
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National tuberculosis (TB) prevalence surveys provide a nationally representative measurement of the burden of TB disease in the population, at a given point in time. Repeat surveys allow assessment of trends and tracking of progress towards national and global targets for reductions in TB disease b...urden. Survey data also provide important insights that can help national TB programmes to identify ways to improve TB diagnosis and treatment.
National TB prevalence surveys are relevant in countries that do not yet have national disease notification and vital registration systems that are of sufficiently high quality and coverage to allow reliable tracking of TB disease burden.
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Access to safe, effective and quality-assured health products and technologies is crucial for achieving universal health coverage and primary health care goals. The continued growth of the aging population; increasing burden of noncommunicable diseases; growing burden of mental health issues; climat...e change; shifting patterns of vector borne diseases, fungal disease and waterborne diseases; antimicrobial resistance; and new infectious hazards create an ongoing need for equitable access to safe, effective and quality-assured health products and technologies, and renewed investments in research and development for innovative health products and technologies.
The coronavirus pandemic exposed the inequalities in access to health products, highlighting the need for longer-term strategies to strengthen access to health products and technologies outside of and in emergency situations. While technological and scientific advances present an opportunity to increase access to health products and technologies, the risk of increasing inequality due to higher prices for new health products and technologies; the persisting problem of substandard and falsified medical products; a lack of skilled workforce in many low- and middle-income countries; and a lack of data for decisionmaking and for measuring progress present significant challenges.
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This guide aims to provide an overview of successful practice from the field for the disaster risk reduction/management practitioner interested in EWS. It presents guiding principles that will build a strong foundation for the design or strengthening of EWS at any level. It is not an operational, bu...t a strategic, guide that insists on asking the right questions and exploring all perspectives prior even to deciding whether or not early warning is the appropriate tool for a given context.
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Growing emergencies and displacements across the world demand increasingly complex interventions and responses. The World Health Organization (WHO) has developed Malaria control in emergencies: a field manual to provide technical guidance to help partners respond effectively to malaria in emergency ...situations. This field manual supersedes the 2013 WHO handbook.
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The MEDBOX Annual Report provides an overview of the most important projects of the past year
2023 was another year of significant progress in the fight against HIV, tuberculosis (TB) and malaria. In countries where the Global
Fund invests, there has been a full recovery from the disruptive impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. The results we have achieved in the last year build on our extraord...inary track record of progress. Over the last two decades, our partnership has cut the combined death rate from AIDS, TB and malaria by 61%. As of the end of 2023, the Global Fund partnership has saved 65 million lives.
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This publication provides an overview of evidence and guidance on the growing challenge of workplace heat stress in the context of climate change. It highlights the health and productivity risks faced by billions of workers, especially in manual labor sectors. The report details the physiological, s...ocioeconomic, and mental health impacts of heat stress and outlines evidence-based strategies for prevention and mitigation. It emphasizes the need for occupational heat action programmes, stakeholder collaboration, and tailored interventions to protect vulnerable workers, reduce productivity losses, and support sustainable development in a warming world.
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The 2022 report reviews the global malaria diagnostics market and technological landscape to support Unitaid’s 2023–2027 strategy for quality malaria case management. The report highlights the stalled progress of malaria control efforts, the gaps in access to diagnostics and the public health im...plications of P. falciparum HRP2/3 gene deletions, which compromise the accuracy of the widely used HRP2-detecting rapid diagnostic tests (RDTs). The report analyses the malaria RDT market, noting supplier diversification, price trends and production shifts resulting from the pandemic. It also addresses the emerging point-of-care G6PD testing market, which is required to ensure the safe radical cure of P. vivax infections. It surveys technological innovation, including digital microscopy, hemozoin tests, nucleic acid detection and biosensors, while emphasising that RDTs and microscopy will remain the mainstay of case management in the near term. The report identifies market shortcomings, access barriers and opportunities to improve malaria case management and diagnostic coverage.
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This document provides technical guidance for manufacturers seeking World Health Organization (WHO) prequalification of in vitro diagnostic devices (IVDs) for malaria, with a focus on rapid diagnostic tests (RDTs) for symptomatic patients. It summarises the minimum performance requirements, includin...g analytical and clinical performance standards, and emphasises considerations relating to diverse specimen types, testing environments and user populations in low- and middle-income countries. The guidance is aligned with the criteria and prequalification processes of the WHO Global Malaria Programme, while clarifying that demonstration of clinical utility is outside the scope of prequalification.
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This document provides technical guidance for manufacturers seeking World Health Organization (WHO) prequalification of in vitro diagnostic devices (IVDs) for malaria, with a focus on rapid diagnostic tests (RDTs) for symptomatic patients. It summarises the minimum performance requirements, includin...g analytical and clinical performance standards, and emphasises considerations relating to diverse specimen types, testing environments and user populations in low- and middle-income countries. The guidance is aligned with the criteria and prequalification processes of the WHO Global Malaria Programme, while clarifying that demonstration of clinical utility is outside the scope of prequalification.
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The African Palliative Care Association is pleased to publish the first edition of Palliative Care Standards for Africa. The development of these standards was achieved through wide consultation with service beneficiaries and providers, and they have been developed to suit different levels of ... service delivery, from primary to tertiary. These standards are underpinned by the World Health Organization’s definition of palliative care, and recognise that scaling up palliative care requires a public health approach with four pillars: policy, education, drug availability and implementation. In addition, the increasing need to establish specific indicators of quality and effectiveness for palliative care has been a big driving force behind these comprehensive standards. It is APCA’s wish that they will provide a framework for the development of evaluation
and performance indicators that can facilitate programme improvement and development. The standards are designed to allow the development or improvement of palliative care across the different services levels, within the organisational capacity of various service providers. They describe a relationship between primary, intermediary and tertiary level service providers, with expectations for all providers articulated through detailed criteria for each standard. It is therefore expected that these standards will influence the planning and delivery of palliative care services at all levels of health care service delivery.
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During the reporting period, significant progress was made in strengthening the mpox response across the continent. The lessons learned and challenges identified during the joint mpox continental intra-action review (IAR), which took place successfully in December 2024 in Addis Ababa have guided the... development of the action plan for the response to the mpox epidemic in January and February 2025.
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