Amazon Malaria Initiative

Last updated

The Amazon Malaria Initiative (AMI) was a regional program that was created in 2001 by several countries sharing the Amazon basin with technical support from PAHO/WHO and financial support from the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), and managed by USAID/Peru as part of its South American Regional Infectious Disease Program (SARI). [1] The initiative used a multi-pronged approach to achieve the overall aims of preventing and controlling malaria and reducing malaria-related morbidity and mortality in countries of the Americas. [2] AMI priorities for malaria prevention are as follows, diagnosis and treatment, drug resistance and epidemiological surveillance, vector control, pharmaceutical management, quality of medicines, communication and networking. [3]

Contents

History

The rationale for creating AMI was the need to provide and invest in targeted activities to improve malaria control in the Amazon basin countries where 88% of malaria cases in Latin America and the Caribbean are reported. [4] The Americas also where medication used to treat P. falciparum malaria are being reported to be ineffective. [5] Nearly 95% of the malaria burden in the Americas is located in the Amazon basin region, as well as 98% of the Plasmodium falciparum infection. [6] When AMI first launched the initial participating countries included Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Peru, Suriname, Bolivia, and Venezuela. [7] By 2008 Venezuela ceased participation, [2] Bolivia followed in 2013. [7] AMI later expanded to eleven countries adding Central American countries Belize, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Panama. [7]

Description

AMI's approach to enhance malaria control in the eleven participating countries was to identify, support, and implement evidence-based interventions. [5] AMI partners share knowledge and lessons learned by networking across different countries, both in the Americas and around the world. [5] AMI hopes that all participating countries will develop strong health systems, strategic planning programs, monitoring, and evaluation, operational research and country level capacity-building. [8] To achieve the malaria control objective, AMI created the following set of goals and priorities. [9]

Goals

  1. Ensure malaria control programs incorporate selected best practices
  2. Improve malaria control at the sub-regional level
  3. Contribute to decrease malaria morbidity and mortality

Priorities

Provide effective malaria control and treatment by:

Since AMI has been introduced, the Americas have seen a 60% decrease in reported cases and 70% decrease in death due to malaria. [10] From 2007 to 2008 the Americas reported 30% less cases of malaria as well as a 52% decrease in mortality. [11] By 2008, reports of fatal malaria cases dropped by 83%. [12] There was a decline in incidence rate from 2000 to 2012 in 18 of the 21 endemic countries. [10] By 2015 Brazil, Colombia, and Peru are estimated to achieve reduction of > 75%, while Panama is estimated to achieve a reduction of 25% to 50%. [10] Guyana is the only participating country to report an increase in cases between the years 2000 and 2012. [10] As of 2013 Belize moved from the control phase to the pre-elimination phase joining Ecuador, while the other endemic countries remain in the control phase. [10] Admiral Tim Ziemer, U.S Global Malaria Coordinator, said the work of PAHO, WHO member countries and the U.S. (supported through the Amazon Malaria Initiative) have been critical to this success. [13]

AMI focused on five priority areas for the AMI region: 1) consolidating the gains achieved during the first ten years of work and contributing further attention to P. vivax malaria and to populations with special needs; [4] 2) making malaria control activities more feasible, independent of AMI contribution; 3) developing a regional approach to malaria prevention and control; 4) helping national malarial control programs contribute to the decentralization effect in the health sector as well as modifying malaria control strategies to divers and emerging epidemiological setting; [4] 5) implementing the Strategy and Plan of Action for Malaria in the Americas for 2011-2015.

Strategy and plan of action for malaria

In September 2011, countries in the Americas approved a strategy and plan of action for malaria and established key targets for 2015. [10] The Americas plan of action includes a 75% reduction in malaria morbidity as well as 25% reduction in malaria related deaths by 2015. [8] The plan also calls to implement malaria elimination activities in areas where elimination seems possible, reverse trends in countries where malaria case were on the rise, and prevent any reintroduction of malaria in countries deemed malaria-free. [10] A new multi-year strategy and plan of action will be presented to the 55th Directing Council in 2016.[ citation needed ]

As part of strategic communication and advocacy on behalf of malaria control in the region, AMI partners participated in the commemoration of international awareness days such as World Malaria Day on April 25 and Malaria Day in the Americas on November 6.[ citation needed ]

Amazon Network for the Surveillance of Antimalarial Drug Resistance

Through its support for AMI, USAID helped the Pan American Health Organization to create the Amazon Network for the Surveillance of Antimalarial Drug Resistance (RAVREDA). The goal of RAVREDA is to use a network of sentinel sites to monitor medicine efficacy and address antimalarial drug resistance. [14] RAVREDA first launched as an effort to support participating countries to revise their antimalarial drug treatment policies, and promote the implementation of science-based malaria control policies. [1] RAVREDA is a country-led collaborative that monitors the emergence and spread of resistance to antimalarial medicines and addresses the risk of malaria reemergence. [5] The AMI/RAVREDA has assisted countries in the region to develop drug efficacy protocols. [15] REVREDA tailors to local epidemiological situations as well as conducts studies of therapeutic efficacy. [15] The purpose of AMI/RAVREDA is to be the motivating role in partnerships, filling regional gaps, assisting regional and subregional coordination, supporting in the preparation of Global found applications, and creating a foundation for malaria elimination in areas where it seems feasible. [15]

Current partner countries

Amazon Basin countries

Central American countries

International technical partners

AMI activities were executed through the collaborative efforts of the six international partners with varied technical expertise, all of which work in close coordination with one another as well as with the national counterpart stakeholders. [2] [15]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Malaria</span> Medical condition

Malaria is a mosquito-borne infectious disease that affects humans and other animals. Malaria causes symptoms that typically include fever, tiredness, vomiting, and headaches. In severe cases, it can cause jaundice, seizures, coma, or death. Symptoms usually begin ten to fifteen days after being bitten by an infected mosquito. If not properly treated, people may have recurrences of the disease months later. In those who have recently survived an infection, reinfection usually causes milder symptoms. This partial resistance disappears over months to years if the person has no continuing exposure to malaria.

Antimalarial medications or simply antimalarials are a type of antiparasitic chemical agent, often naturally derived, that can be used to treat or to prevent malaria, in the latter case, most often aiming at two susceptible target groups, young children and pregnant women. As of 2018, modern treatments, including for severe malaria, continued to depend on therapies deriving historically from quinine and artesunate, both parenteral (injectable) drugs, expanding from there into the many classes of available modern drugs. Incidence and distribution of the disease is expected to remain high, globally, for many years to come; moreover, known antimalarial drugs have repeatedly been observed to elicit resistance in the malaria parasite—including for combination therapies featuring artemisinin, a drug of last resort, where resistance has now been observed in Southeast Asia. As such, the needs for new antimalarial agents and new strategies of treatment remain important priorities in tropical medicine. As well, despite very positive outcomes from many modern treatments, serious side effects can impact some individuals taking standard doses.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pan American Health Organization</span> Public health agency for the Americas

The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) in charge of international health cooperation in the Americas. It fosters technical cooperation among member countries to fight communicable and noncommunicable diseases, strengthen health systems, and respond to emergencies and disasters. It has 35 Member States and four Associate Members in the region. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., PAHO is the regional office for the World Health Organization in the Americas, and the health organization of the Inter-American System. It is known in Latin America as the OPS or OPAS.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Drugs for Neglected Diseases Initiative</span> Non-profit organization

The Drugs for Neglected Diseases initiative (DNDi) is a collaborative, patients' needs-driven, non-profit drug research and development (R&D) organization that is developing new treatments for neglected diseases, notably leishmaniasis, sleeping sickness, Chagas disease, malaria, filarial diseases, mycetoma, paediatric HIV, cryptococcal meningitis, hepatitis C, and dengue. DNDi's malaria activities were transferred to Medicines for Malaria Venture (MMV) in 2015.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Amodiaquine</span> Chemical compound

Amodiaquine (ADQ) is a medication used to treat malaria, including Plasmodium falciparum malaria when uncomplicated. It is recommended to be given with artesunate to reduce the risk of resistance. Due to the risk of rare but serious side effects, it is not generally recommended to prevent malaria. Though, the WHO in 2013 recommended use for seasonal preventive in children at high risk in combination with sulfadoxine and pyrimethamine.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eradication of infectious diseases</span> Complete extermination of disease-causing agent to reduce its incidence to zero

The eradication of infectious diseases is the reduction of an infectious disease's prevalence in the global host population to zero.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Malawi–United States relations</span> Bilateral relations

The United States established diplomatic relations with Malawi in 1964 after Malawi gained independence from the United Kingdom. Malawi's transition from a one-party state to a multi-party democracy significantly strengthened the already cordial U.S. relationship with Malawi. Significant numbers of Malawians study in the United States. The United States has an active Peace Corps program, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Department of Health and Human Services, and an Agency for International Development (USAID) mission in Malawi. Both countries have a common history and English language, as they were part of the British Empire.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Health in Vietnam</span>

Life expectancy has risen by two years for males and females in Vietnam between 2000 and 2012. This is half of the average rise in life expectancy for other parts of the world during the same time period.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Malaria Consortium</span>

Malaria Consortium is an international non-profit organization specializing in the comprehensive control of malaria and other communicable diseases – particularly those affecting children under five.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Health in Burkina Faso</span>

A landlocked sub-Saharan country, Burkina Faso is among the poorest countries in the world—44 percent of its population lives below the international poverty line of US$1.90 per day —and it ranks 185th out of 188 countries on UNDP's 2016 Human Development Index .Rapid population growth, gender inequality, and low levels of educational attainment contribute to food insecurity and poverty in Burkina Faso. The total population is just over 20 million with the estimated population growth rate is 3.1 percent per year and seven out of 10 Burkinabe are younger than 30. Total health care expenditures were an estimated 5% of GDP. Total expenditure on health per capita is 82 in 2014.

Intermittent preventive therapy or intermittent preventive treatment (IPT) is a public health intervention aimed at treating and preventing malaria episodes in infants (IPTi), children (IPTc), schoolchildren (IPTsc) and pregnant women (IPTp). The intervention builds on two tested malaria control strategies to clear existing parasites and to prevent new infections (prophylaxis).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Piperaquine</span> Chemical compound

Piperaquine is an antiparasitic drug used in combination with dihydroartemisinin to treat malaria. Piperaquine was developed under the Chinese National Malaria Elimination Programme in the 1960s and was adopted throughout China as a replacement for the structurally similar antimalarial drug chloroquine. Due to widespread parasite resistance to piperaquine, the drug fell out of use as a monotherapy, and is instead used as a partner drug for artemisinin combination therapy. Piperaquine kills parasites by disrupting the detoxification of host heme.

The Center for Disease Dynamics, Economics & Policy (CDDEP) is a public health research organization with headquarters in Washington, D.C. and New Delhi. Its mission is "to produce independent, multidisciplinary research to advance the health and well-being of human populations in the United States and around the world."

The Affordable Medicines Facility-malaria (AMFm) is a financing mechanism intended to expand access to affordable and effective antimalarial medication. It works primarily through the commercial private sector, in addition to the public and non-governmental organization sectors which are the more traditional routes for development assistance in malaria control. Its goal is to drive down the price of the most effective malaria medicines so that millions of people can afford to buy them. The program has been called "one of the most important recent advances in fighting malaria" and "a triumph of international cooperation." The AMFm is hosted and managed by the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria in Geneva, Switzerland.

The Johns Hopkins Center for Communication Programs (CCP) was founded over 30 years ago by Phyllis Tilson Piotrow as a part the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health's department of Health, Behavior, and Society and is located in Baltimore, Maryland, United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Healthcare in Belize</span>

Healthcare in Belize is provided through both public and private healthcare systems. The Ministry of Health (MoH) is the government agency responsible for overseeing the entire health sector and is also the largest provider of public health services in Belize. The MoH offers affordable care to a majority of Belizeans with a strong focus on providing quality healthcare through a range of public programs and institutions.

Malaria Day in the Americas is commemorated annually on November 6 to promote awareness, recognize past and current efforts to prevent and control malaria in the region of the Americas, build commitment, and to mobilize action to advance malaria goals and targets as the region works towards elimination. Awareness of this disease is very important in the region of the Americas, where an estimated 120 million people in 21 endemic countries are at risk of malaria. In 2012, there were 469,000 confirmed malaria cases in the region with 108 deaths. Nonetheless, declining incidence of disease and malaria-related mortality has led to low prioritization of malaria on national health agendas in the Americas.

Asia Pacific Leaders Malaria Alliance (APLMA) is an affiliation of Asian and Pacific heads of government formed to accelerate progress against malaria and to eliminate the disease in the region by 2030. The mission of the secretariat is to translate strong political commitment into action, and realize an Asia Pacific Region free of malaria and with reduced risk from other communicable diseases.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Arnoldo Gabaldón</span> Venezuelan physician and politician (1909–1990)

Arnoldo Gabaldón Carrillo was a physician, researcher and Venezuelan politician. He is recognized for his activism against malaria. His campaign against the disease reduced the number of cases in Venezuela to almost zero during the 1950s, giving place to more exploitable territory and population growth.

References

  1. 1 2 Najera, Jose; Zimmerman, Robert; Schmunis, Gabriel (April 23, 2012). External Evaluation of the AMI and RAVREDA.
  2. 1 2 3 Pribluda, Victor S; Barojas, Adrian; Añez, Arletta; López, Cecilia G; Figueroa, Ruth; Herrera, Roxana; Nakao, Gladys; Nogueira, Fernando HA; Pianetti, Gerson A; Povoa, Marinete M; Viana, Giselle MR; Gomes, Margarete S; Escobar, Jose P; Sierra, Olga L; Norena, Susana P; Veloz, Raúl; Bravo, Marcy; Aldás, Martha R; HindsSemple, Alison; Collins, Marilyn; Ceron, Nicolas; Krishnalall, Karanchand; Adhin, Malti; Bretas, Gustavo; Hernandez, Nelly; Mendoza, Marjorie; Smine, Abdelkrim; Chibwe, Kennedy; Lukulay, Patrick; Evans, Lawrence (2012). "Implementation of basic quality control tests for malaria medicines in Amazon Basin countries: results for the 2005–2010 period". Malaria Journal. 11 (1): 2–11. doi:10.1186/1475-2875-11-202. PMC   3433375 . PMID   22704680.
  3. ↑ "AMI Goal and Accomplishments" (PDF). usaidami. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2014-07-14. Retrieved 2014-06-09.
  4. 1 2 3 Cibulskis, Roll Back Malaria Partnership; [co-authored by Richard; Szilagyi], Zsofia (2012). Defeating malaria in Asia, the Pacific, Americas, Middle East and Europe. Geneva, Switzerland: World Health Organization on behalf of the Roll Back Maleria Secretariat. pp. 65–66. ISBN   9789241504430.
  5. 1 2 3 4 "AMI Brochure 2014" (PDF). linksmedia.net.
  6. ↑ Hiwat, Hélène; Hardjopawiro, Loretta S; Takken, Willem; Villegas, Leopoldo (2012). "Novel strategies lead to pre-elimination of malaria in previously high-risk areas in Suriname, South America". Malaria Journal. 11 (1): 1–4. doi: 10.1186/1475-2875-11-10 . PMC   3281795 . PMID   22230221.
  7. 1 2 3 "Activities in the Amazon Region". www.cdc.com. Retrieved 26 June 2014.
  8. 1 2 World Health Organisation (October 2011). "Plan to reduce Malaria and Prevent its Reintroduction" (Press Release). scoop. Retrieved 19 June 2014.
  9. ↑ Regional strategic plan for malaria in the Americas 2006-2010 (PDF). Washington, DC: Pan American Health Organization, Regional office of the World Health Organization. 2006. p. 23. ISBN   9275126410.
  10. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Malaria in the Americas". paho.org. Retrieved 26 June 2014.
  11. ↑ "Combating Malaria" (PDF). NAPSA.
  12. ↑ Minsa (November 7, 2008). "Casos de Malaria mortal se redujeron". Andina. Archived from the original on August 31, 2014. Retrieved 19 June 2014.
  13. ↑ "Caribbean and the Americas at risk of disease carried by small insects". What'supCaribbean. Archived from the original on 2014-08-31. Retrieved 18 July 2014.
  14. ↑ Kumar, kaveri; Pigazzini, Anna; Stenson, Bo. "Financing for Malaria Elimination" (PDF). globalhealthscience.ucsf.edu. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2014-10-24. Retrieved 2014-06-19.
  15. 1 2 3 4 World Malaria Report (PDF). Geneva: WHO Library. 2011. p. 60. ISBN   978-92-4-156440-3 . Retrieved 7 July 2014.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.