![\"Director](\"https:\/\/www.who.int\/images\/default-source\/wpro\/countries\/viet-nam\/news\/dr-pedro-alonso.jpg?sfvrsn=fa3a87a3_3\")
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Dear friends and partners,<\/span><\/p>\n My last \u201cLetter to partners<\/a>\u201d This letter will focus largely on WHO\u2019s efforts to address the double challenge of malaria & COVID-19. Our work in recent months has been carried out in close collaboration with country-based experts and global partners. We are very grateful As COVID-19 began its rapid spread earlier this year from China to Italy, and beyond, alarm bells began ringing across the malaria community. After taking such a devastating toll on countries with robust health systems, how would malaria-endemic countries In March, before COVID-19 had secured a strong footing in Africa, WHO established a cross-partner mechanism aimed at mitigating the impact of the pandemic in malaria-affected areas. Since that time, leaders and experts from more than 30 partner organizations Our first order of business was to issue a clear statement<\/a> calling for the continuity of malaria services. We were troubled by reports that some countries in sub-Saharan Africa Several weeks later, WHO and partners delivered 2 key documents that have helped shape national malaria responses during the pandemic:<\/p>\n We have been very encouraged to see net campaigns move forward in many countries across Africa. Benin, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Sierra Leone and Chad paved the way this spring, and many others have followed in their footsteps. In line with However, we have been unable to effectively track access to, or use of, other preventive approaches, such as IPTp for pregnant women, an intervention typically delivered through antenatal care facilities. The full impact of the pandemic on malaria diagnosis Paradoxically, in some areas there are reports of reductions in malaria, which probably reflects the fact that fewer people are seeking care at health facilities; if a person with a malarial fever does not seek care, he or she will not be diagnosed, treated We will continue to keep you updated on our ongoing efforts to tackle malaria & COVID-19. Our Q&A<\/a> provides additional background and is updated periodically.\u00a0<\/p>\n Later this week, WHO and the RBM Partnership to End Malaria will co-host live, interactive forums on 2 consecutive days under the theme: \u201cResponding to the double challenge of malaria & COVID-19.\u201d On day 1, we will hear from country-based experts Discussions with be moderated in English, with simultaneous translation in French and Spanish. We encourage you to register in advance; an agenda and registration details can be found here<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n In 2018, as you may recall, the Global Malaria Programme (GMP) undertook an extensive review of our policy-making processes for malaria. Following the recommendations that came out of this exercise, our malaria policy pathway is now structured around 3 high-level steps<\/a>:\u00a0<\/p>\n In order to better anticipate unmet public health needs (Step 1), GMP solicited suggestions in 2019, including via an online consultation, for topics requiring new or updated malaria policy recommendations. Based on the feedback received, we are forming individual guideline development groups (GDGs) for each of the technical areas identified: chemoprevention, vector control, elimination, treatment, diagnosis, Plasmodium vivax<\/em>, and anaemia.<\/p>\n To enhance the transparency of our processes, GMP will publish the names and brief biographies of individuals who are being considered for participation in each GDG. Everyone is welcome to comment on any perceived conflicts of interest.<\/p>\n We are currently inviting comments, through 8 September<\/strong>, on proposed members of a GDG on malaria elimination. For details, please visit this link<\/a>.\u00a0 If you would like to receive regular updates on the GDGs \u2013 including alerts about other upcoming \u201ccalls for comments\u201d \u2013 send us an email at: gmpfeedback@who.int<\/a>.<\/p>\n Step 3 in our new policy pathway calls for optimizing uptake of WHO\u2019s malaria policy guidance, particularly in endemic countries. To that end, I am very pleased to share a new app which brings together all WHO policy documents on malaria \u2013 guidelines, recommendations, operational manuals and other technical documents \u2013 in one easy-to-navigate resource.<\/p>\n Download the app for iOS devices<\/a> | Download the app for Android devices<\/a><\/p>\n The app complements the Compendium of WHO malaria guidance<\/a>, published in April 2018, and a dedicated policy guidance section<\/a> on the WHO website.<\/p>\n As you may have seen, Nature Medicine<\/em> recently published an article confirming the emergence in Rwanda of parasites with mutations associated with artemisinin partial resistance. The study found, at the same time, that artemisinin-based combination therapy (ACT) continues to be an effective treatment for malaria.<\/p>\n This article was co-authored by WHO and is based on data generated by WHO surveillance systems. Importantly, the parasites emerged independently in Rwanda and did not spread directly from the Greater Mekong Subregion, as some had predicted.\u00a0<\/p>\n Unfortunately, some news articles have misrepresented the key findings and implications of the study. Together with our malaria partners, we have been working to reinforce the message that ACTs \u2013 at this point in time \u2013 continue to be an effective treatment for malaria in all settings around the world, including Rwanda. We encourage you to read an information note<\/a> on this issue developed by Medicines for Malaria Venture as well as our WHO Q&A<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
\n came to you in December 2019, following the launch of the World malaria report<\/em>. Since that time, the world has changed in ways we never could have imagined. I hope that you and your loved ones have managed to avoid contracting COVID-19, or
\n to recover from it rapidly. For those who have lost family members or friends, I extend my deepest condolences.<\/p>\n
\n to all of our partners for their ongoing commitment and contributions.<\/p>\nTopics covered in this letter<\/h3>\n
\n
Malaria & COVID-19<\/h3>\n
\n in Africa prevail? Among colleagues at WHO, there was deep concern that the coronavirus had the potential to upend years \u2013 perhaps decades \u2013 of progress in malaria control.<\/p>\n
\n have been lending their expertise across 7 workstreams focused on a range of issues \u2013 from disruptions in the supply of key malaria commodities to surveillance and clinical drug trials.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\n had suspended mass insecticide-treated net campaigns, the mainstay of malaria prevention efforts in the region for nearly 2 decades. Our statement, published on 26 March, underscored the critical importance of ensuring the safety of communities and
\n frontline health workers.<\/p>\n\n
\n \u2013 do both. This malaria-specific guidance is aligned with broader WHO guidance<\/a> on maintaining essential services in COVID-19 settings. It also complements guidance <\/a>from
\n WHO, UNICEF and IFRC on the role of community-based health care.<\/li>\n
\n published just ahead of World Malaria Day, reinforces our urgent call for sustaining malaria services. Under the worst-case scenario, we predicted a doubling in deaths in sub-Saharan Africa in 2020 alone if access to net campaigns and antimalarial
\n treatment was severely curtailed during the pandemic.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
\n WHO guidance, all countries have adapted their distribution strategies to ensure households receive the nets as quickly and safely as possible.<\/p>\n
\n and treatment \u2013 which can normally be accessed through primary health care facilities \u2013 is also unknown. Many of the reports we have received are incomplete or anecdotal.<\/p>\n
\n or reported. We expect a clearer picture to emerge as more data become available.<\/p>\nVirtual forums<\/h3>\n
\n about the challenges they are facing on the frontlines of the response to these urgent health threats. Their shared reflections will inform discussions on day 2 with global health leaders, including our WHO Director-General, among others.<\/p>\nImproving the way we develop and share policy guidance<\/h3>\n
\n
New policy guidance app<\/span>
<\/h3>\nArtemisinin resistance in Rwanda<\/h3>\n