Affordable Medicines Facility - malaria (AMFm)
The Global Fund: http://www.theglobalfund.org/en/amfm/?lang=en
An innovative financing mechanism, the Affordable Medicines Facility for malaria ( AMFm), was officially launched. The AMFm will make the most effective treatment for malaria, artemisinin combination therapies (ACTs), more affordable and so has the potential to save thousands of lives. The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria will manage the new scheme.
The Lancet, Volume 373, Issue 9673, Pages 1447 - 1454, 25 April 2009
World Malaria Day (April 25) is a time to assess key achievements and future goals in malaria control and elimination. In a Comment, Sir Richard Feachem and Allison Phillips discuss the rapid progress made in malaria control and elimination in the past two years, and discuss their optimism for the future. A second Comment outlines in detail the progress towards a malaria vaccine.
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Evaluation of malaria diagnostic tests by WHO and partners finds variation in test performance
News Release WHO/12 • 24 April 2009
WHO, 24 April 2009
· Press release [PDF: 324Kb, 2 pages] | French | Spanish
· Full report [PDF: 2.8Mb, 110 pages]
· Executive summary [PDF: 131Kb, 3 pages]
GENEVA–The largest-ever independent, laboratory-based evaluation of rapid diagnostic tests (RDTs) for malaria has shown that some tests on the market perform exceptionally well in tropical temperatures and can detect even low parasite densities in blood samples, while other tests were only able to detect the parasite at high parasite densities.
The evaluation was co-sponsored by the WHO Regional Office for the Western Pacific (WPRO), WHO-based Special Programme for Research and Training in Tropical Diseases (TDR) and the Foundation for Innovative New Diagnostics (FIND). Testing was performed at the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Forty-one commercially available RDTs went through a blinded laboratory evaluation.
The findings will serve as a tool for countries to make informed choices, from among the dozens of tests commercially available, on the purchase and use of rapid diagnostics that are best suited to local conditions.
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The Center for High Impact Philanthropy at the University of Pennsylvania's School of Social Policy & Practice has published a document intended to help donors make the most useful contributions to the fight against malaria. Lifting the Burden of Malaria: An Investment Guide for Impact-Driven Philanthropy describes examples of promising models, provides cost-per-impact estimates and offers advice on setting a strategy.
www.impact.upenn.edu
Lifting the Burden of Malaria:
An Investment Guide for Impact-Driven Philanthropy
Carol McLaughlin, Jennifer Levy, Kathleen Noonan, Katherina Rosqueta
February 2009
Summary: http://www.impact.upenn.edu/documents/UPenn_CHIP_MalariaExecSumm_Feb09.pdf
Every thirty seconds a young child dies of malaria.1 Each of those deaths is avoidable.
There now exists a window of opportunity for you, as an individual philanthropist, to help lift the burden of malaria due to the emergence of three pivotal developments. First, effective, low-cost tools now exist for malaria’s prevention and treatment. Second, a consensus is emerging on a global strategy to combat the disease and overcome delivery obstacles to reaching affected communities. Third, this global strategy is receiving increasing attention from an array of global players and donors. Your challenge is to figure out how you can best leverage the current momentum to make the biggest difference.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
I . THE NEED FOR PHILANTHROPIC INVESTMENT IN MALARIA CONTROL (pp 1 - 9)
Malaria is a global priority for health and development
The global strategy to combat malaria
How philanthropists can help
Why invest now
What are the best investments in malaria control
II . TREAT AND PREVENT NOW (pp 10 - 31)
Overview of malaria tools
Malaria tools are both inexpensive and cost-effective
Philanthropists can address the current gaps in the coverage of tools
Effective tool-delivery strategies
Addressing current constraints to delivery
§ Strategy 1: Extend the existing health system capacity through community health workers 
§ Strategy 2: Enlist family members and community volunteers to educate communities
§ Strategy 3: Piggyback on existing systems for delivery of bednets
§ Strategy 4: Scale-up community and household access to new ACTs
Helping especially vulnerable populations
§ Strategy 5: Build training networks to prevent malaria in pregnancy
§ Strategy 6: Assist the most vulnerable in areas of conflict or natural disaster
III . BUILD SYSTEMS FOR THE LONG TERM (pp 32 - 41)
Strategy 7: Strengthen health system capacity through effective partnerships
Strategy 8: Leverage existing financing resources for system-wide change
Strategy 9: Create information networks to track outcomes, monitor resistance, and predict epidemics
Strategy 10: Prepare future health leaders from
malaria-affected countries
IV. INNOVATE FOR THE FUTURE (pp 42 - 50)
Strategy 11: Support innovation for new tools
Strategy 12: Innovate by harnessing the potential of the private sector or applying new technology
In-depth case study included in this section
V. TRANSLATING GOOD INTENTIONS INTO HIGH IMPACT PHILANTHROPY (pp 51 - 64)
1. Select your entry point supporting the global malaria strategy
2. Consider what region you want to target
3. Evaluate potential investments
4. Measure what matters after you have written the check
5. Incorporate proven strategies for successful public health efforts
RESOURCES AND REFERENCES (pp 65 - 82)
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