Malaria Champions is an initiative that recognizes a wide range of efforts that lead to the elimination of malaria in the Americas. These efforts may include experiences in malaria elimination in populations living in areas of difficult access to health services, High Burden Municipalities with important impact/case reduction, champions in elimination (countries, municipalities or provinces), actions to avoid barriers in accessing early diagnosis and treatment and prompt response (DT-IR), elimination of transmission by P. falciparum, countries with strengthened malaria surveillance, binational/south - south collaborations in malaria, intersectoral and community participation with impact on case management and reduction, etc.
The initiative aims at recognizing public health, national or subnational governing entities, and other institutions or organizations, groups or communities with proven evidence about sustained actions with positive impact on malaria control and elimination.
1. Who may apply?
- The Ministry of Health or subnational governing entities (State Secretariat of Health, Regional Health, Local Malaria Program, etc.),
- Municipalities (local health network, mayor's office, municipal health secretary, community actor, group of local leaders, Col Vol groups),
- A person or group of persons that has led an impactful malaria effort,
- NGOs,
- Universities (research group),
- Private sector,
- Others malaria stakeholders,
- Anyone may apply on behalf of a third party.
2. Topics:
- Successes with malaria reduction in populations living in difficult to access areas (especially in vulnerable groups: indigenous populations, migrants, miners, mobile populations etc.);
- Successful experiences with malaria reduction in High Burden Municipalities (where most of the cases in a given area are concentrated);
- Recently achieved malaria elimination (in countries, provinces or municipalities);
- Successful experiences in improving access to diagnosis and adherence to treatment;
- Innovative operating models (developed in countries, or by partners), with documented impact on malaria control/elimination;
- Efforts by research institutions to improve knowledge and evidence, and provide new tools for the accelerated elimination of malaria.
- Malaria burden reduction through binational/south-south collaborations; intersectoral and community participation (synchronization of activities);
- Successful experiences of countries, municipalities, or provinces with reduction or acceleration of P. falciparum elimination and preventing the reestablishment of its transmission.
3. Conditions:
- Programmatic and/or management efforts with:
- Improvements on the process indicators related to one or more of the following components: i) expansion of the diagnostic network and treatment, to strengthen case management, ii) community participation, iii) intersectoral management, iv) actions targeting vulnerable groups, v) binational coordination, etc.
- Epidemiological impact: significant reduction in total number of malaria cases, mortality and P. falciparum transmission in vulnerable groups, etc.
- interruption of Pf and/or total malaria transmission;
4. Experiences to be recognized:
Any experience that meets the conditions above.
5. How to apply to be a Malaria Champions:
The application will be a two steps process.
A- The first step consists of submitting an expression of interest with the following indications:
- The nominee profile (and the applicant, if different from the nominee)
- The theme to be recognized (description of the effort nominated for recognition; 50 words maximum)
- Justification of the nominated topic (500 words maximum):
- Describing the nominated efforts (programmatic and/or management improvements);
- Describing the impact of the efforts (epidemiological impact, policy changes, etc. consistent with the efforts being recognized).
Download the document in:
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Please provide the following information to submit your application before May 12, 2023, by submitting this form to the CDE Advisor your PAHO Country Office, or to alexandrej@paho.org.
B- The second step will be completed by the candidates upon reception, from the MC Committee, of an invitation to document in detail the efforts being recognized. This documentation will include:
- Detailed justification of the nominated topic:
- Documenting nominated efforts (programmatic and/or management improvements);
- Documenting the impact of the efforts (epidemiological impact, policy changes, etc. consistent with the efforts being recognized), including collaborative efforts and partnerships.
- Documenting challenges and limitations
- Consider audiovisual documentation (with external support, if necessary)
- Sustainability prospect of the recognized interventions (sustainable in area implemented, possible replication in other settings)
The evaluation will consider the following requirements of the submitted information: timeliness, completeness, veracity.
6. Role of the Ministries of Health in the process:
In the process, the Ministry of Health is invited/encouraged to:
- Post experiences
- Provide additional epidemiological, strategic and programmatic information, when necessary.
7. Recognition:
The Malaria Champions of the Americas will receive:
- Commemorative plaque
- Opportunities for further development of technical capacities
- Opportunity to be featured in various communications platforms of Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), UN Foundation, George Washington University (GWU-MISPH), (Johns Hopkins University JHU-CCP), Florida International University (FIU-GHC), and American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene (ASTMH), as a best practice story on malaria.
8. Due date:
All expressions of interest to the 2023 Malaria Champions of the Americas are due on May 12, 2023.
By June 30, 2023, all the candidates will receive feedback from the MC Committee to either proceed with the second step of the application, providing detailed documentation (on, or before August 25th, 2023) or to strengthen the nominated efforts for further consideration.
9. More information:
- Malaria Champions, rethinking process - 2022
- PAHO Health topic: Malaria
- Download the information in PDF
- Specific questions may be directed at alexandrej@paho.org