Enabling Systematic Change for
a Malaria-Free Africa
Current Situation
Malaria is a public health priority in Africa, where approximately 80 percent of global cases occur. In Nigeria, an estimated 97% percent of the population is at risk, transmission rates are high and the vast majority of infections are recurrent. The dominant malaria parasite, Plasmodium falciparum is potentially fatal, and as a result, malaria-associated mortality remains high.
Malaria, although deadly, is a preventable disease and can be successfully eliminated through diligence and education. In 2014, the government switched its focus from Malaria control to elimination and developed a plan to get Nigeria to pre-elimination by 2020. By applying evidence to decision-making, collaborating with key stakeholders, and bringing together experts in the field, HSDF is driving the realization of this vision.
Priority Public Health Programs
Our Approach
Knowledge Generation, Translation, and Dissemination
We develop up-to-date materials based on scientific evidence to guide decision making on malaria programme implementation at both the national and state levels.
Fostering Public-Private Sector Collaboration
We assemble cross-functional teams of government, donor, and partner entities to contribute time, expertise, and resources to drive the implementation of selected initiatives.
Technical Advisory
We are currently partnering with National Malaria Elimination Program (NMEP) in the Federal Ministry of Health to develop protocols for the 2020 Malaria Indicator Survey (MIS) and incorporate genomic studies country-wide. This will help identify genetic mutations in the malaria parasite genome that may lead to resistance to the current treatment regimen.
Partnerships
We collaborate with global academic institutions to conduct implementation research for better public health outcomes in Nigeria. An example of this is the partnership between HSDF and the Harvard Defeating Malaria Initiative.
Results
We pioneered the development of the Malaria Business Case – a document that provided a compelling argument for the involvement of the private sector in malaria elimination initiatives, with a guide on how the unique opportunities afforded by the private sector can be harnessed to improve malaria outcomes. This helps to ensure active participation and collaboration of the private sector in the national malaria initiative.
Our independent research, Malaria Genomics Project, found that a key challenge to malaria control in Nigeria is the emergence and spread of plasmodium falciparum strains that have become resistant to almost all available drugs.