PacMI Progress Update

  • Total value: $25 million (Solomon Islands: $14 million, Vanuatu: $6 million, Technical and Management Support: $5 million)
  • Duration: 2007-2011
  • Funding partner: Global Fund (approximately $24 million from 2008 – 2014)
  • Implementation approach: Based on a single consolidated malaria workplan to ensure the combined resources (Ministries of Health, Global Fund, WHO and AusAID) are used most efficiently.
  • Implementation partners:
    1. Ministry of Health (MoH)
    2. Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC)
    3. World Health Organization (WHO)
    4. PacMI Support Centre (PacMISC), a consortium of the University of Queensland, Queensland Institute of Medical Research, and Australian Army Malaria Institute
    5. Other partners: Rotarian Against Malaria, Save the Children Fund Australia, other civil organisations and churches.
  • Targets:
    • Reduce malaria incidence in the Solomon Islands by 65% (from 128 per 1,000 in 2007 to 46 per 1,000 population by 2014) and by 70% in Vanuatu (from 23 per 1,000 in 2007 to 7 per 1,000 population by 2014)
    • Reduce mortality rate by 95% in the Solomon Islands (from 7 per 100,000 in 2007 to <0.1 per 100,000 population by 2014), and Vanuatu (from 3  per 100,000 population in 2007 to zero deaths by 2014)
    • Eliminate malaria from Temotu (Solomon Islands) and Tafea (Vanuatu) by 2014.
  • Progress:
  • Low malaria incidence maintained in both countries - Presentations by the National Vector Borne Diseases Control Program (NVBDCP) managers at the Malaria Reference Group meeting in Brisbane (4-5 May 2010) confirmed a continued reduction in annual parasite incidence rate (API) achieved in the Solomon Islands (from 82.3 per 1,000 in 2008 to 76.9 per 1,000 in 2009) and a slight increase in Vanuatu (13.6 per 1,000 in 2008 to 15.6 in 2009) as a result of more rigorous testing and reporting processes. Both countries have maintained good reductions in hospital admissions for severe or complicated malaria, malaria in children less than 5 years of age, and presumed or confirmed malaria deaths.
  • Continued progress in elimination provinces – Technical and management assistance together with flexible funding from AusAID to Tafea, Temotu and Isabel through the Pacific Malaria Initiative Support Centre enabled progress towards elimination in those provinces to be maintained in the absence of the Global Fund funding in 2008 and 2009. A sharp decline in malaria incidence occurred in Tafea (20.2 per 1000 in 2008 to 7.5 in 2009), Temotu (50.7 per 1000 in 2008 to 16.3 in 2009) and Isabel (4.5 per 1000 in 2008, 2.4 in 2009).
  • Sustained control and treatment interventions – Australian funding sustained the roll-out of interventions during delay in signing a Global Fund grant agreement. In Solomon Islands, RDTs have been distributed to approximately 75% of all health facilities and new malaria treatment ACTs have been distributed to 100% of health facilities. In Vanuatu, 53% of all health facilities (five out of six provinces) were covered by training and provided with new stocks of RDTs and ACTs.
  • Enhanced malaria and health information data – Results of extensive baseline surveys are informing control and elimination efforts. Household database, created by malaria surveys, is available in country for broader health programme activities planning (eg. immunisation, maternal and child health).
  • Increased political support - Senior politicians and leaders are better informed about and engaged in the malaria control and elimination efforts and have pledged their ongoing support. The national profile of Solomon Islands and Vanuatu malaria control and elimination efforts are significantly higher with extensive radio, television and newspaper coverage.

 

Sir Richard Feachem, Chair of the Malaria Reference Group, looks on while blood for malaria testing is taken from a child on the island of Tanna in Vanuatu. Tanna has been selected by the Vanuatu Government for an accelerated program aimed at malaria elimination as part of the Pacific Malaria Initiative.