one of the biggest health problems affecting preschool children worldwide to date is malaria. The disease remained a major killer of children until recent decades when diagnostic and treatment interventions began to be available. Although considerable strides have been made in the treatment and prevention of malaria, the disease continues to kill thousands of children every year, especially in less resource-rich parts of the world. In his book, The Bottom Billion (2008), Paul Collier indicates that 80 percent of children with acute malaria live in sub-Saharan Africa. Governments cannot do it alone. Partnerships between countries are crucial for supporting such important causes as malaria prevention and control, for example. This article discusses the issue of global partnerships when it comes to child healthcare. It emphasizes the significance of global partnerships in advocating for child healthcare through the example of malaria prevention and control.
1. The Impact of Malaria on Child Health
Malaria is caused by parasites that are transmitted to humans through the bites of infected Anopheles mosquitoes. Young children suffer disproportionately from severe diseases, which can lead to anemia, cerebral malaria, and death. An estimated 67 percent of malaria episodes and 80 percent of malaria deaths worldwide occur in children under five years of age, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).
But we also know that malaria’s burden goes beyond direct health impacts; families and communities spend large amounts on the treatment of their illness and that of their loved ones, close relatives, and neighbors. People lose incomes through falling ill, so bringing malaria under control is an economic as well as a health issue.
2. The Role of Global Partnerships in Combating Malaria
Malaria-control efforts have involved a growing number of global partnerships to connect governments, international organizations, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), the private sector, and local people. The focus is on mobilizing resources, knowledge, and technology to improve efforts to reduce the disease. Here is how global partnerships are helping to make a difference.
1. Funding and Resource Mobilization
Financial support is crucial, too. Thanks to third-party partnerships like the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria and the Bill Melinda Gates Foundation, the funding to implement a malaria control program is available. Both funders bring together multiple donors to provide large sums of money to buy and distribute ITNs, anti-malarial drugs, and diagnostics.
2. Research and Development
Innovative research is essential to improving malaria control. Collaborations between research organizations, the pharmaceutical industry, and global health organizations support the discovery of new treatments, vaccines, and ways to diagnose infections. For instance, the World Health Organization (WHO) working with PATH (Program for Appropriate Technology in Health) and the Malaria Vaccine Initiative has been instrumental in developing the first-ever vaccine shown to reduce malaria in young children, RTS, S/AS01.
3. Advocacy and Awareness
Consistent with integrating knowledge translation, advocacy has emphasized malaria awareness and promoted sound malaria policies. Examples of such efforts are the Roll Back Malaria Partnership and the End Malaria Council, which remind the world that without malaria control, progress on other fronts will be undermined. Both organizations advocate for policies that strengthen prevention and treatment efforts against malaria to the benefit of all. These partnerships are undertaking advocacy work with governments, the global media, and the wider public to spur visibility and action for malaria.
4. Capacity Building and Training
Indeed, it is local healthcare workers who are out in the field trying to prevent malaria or treat its victims. Malaria funding has helped to support a range of training and fellowship programs that build the expertise of local staff to fight malaria on the front lines. For instance, the WHO and various NGOs collaborate to educate frontline community workers on the use of insecticide-treated nets (ITNs), the appropriate administration of anti-malarial drugs, and the effective management of malaria cases.
3. Successful Case Studies of Global Partnerships
Several successful partnerships provide valuable lessons for tackling malaria and improving child healthcare:
1. The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria
Established in 2002, the Global Fund is the single largest contributor to the fight against malaria. The organization provides malaria funding to countries with a high malaria burden so they can give out ITNs, apply insecticide to the interior surfaces of houses to kill the insects and provide diagnostic and treatment services. The Global Fund is credited with saving many lives from malaria. Its success in reducing malaria cases and deaths in several countries is impressive.
2. The President’s Malaria Initiative (PMI)
Sponsored by the U.S. government and led by the President’s Malaria Initiative (PMI), this program aims to reduce malaria mortality and morbidity in sub-Saharan Africa. It achieves this through partnerships with national governments and local organizations that focus on malaria prevention, treatment, and control interventions. Counties such as Kenya and Zambia show that targeted, layered approaches can effectively impact malaria control.
3. The Malaria Vaccine Initiative (MVI)
A program of PATH, MVI is devoted to advancing the development and deployment of malaria vaccines. MVI has worked with pharmaceutical companies and research institutions to develop and pilot-launch the RTS, S/AS01 malaria vaccine, giving new tools for malaria prevention in high-risk populations.
4. Challenges and Future Directions
While global partnerships have achieved significant progress, challenges remain:
1. Access and Equity
The challenge is and always has been to ensure the most vulnerable populations, the hardest-to-reach people in the most remote and under-resourced places, have access to malaria interventions. Since malaria never sleeps, encourage political will to ensure global partnerships foster equitable access to the benefits of malaria control.
2. Drug Resistance
Drug-resistant strains of the parasite that cause malaria are growing rapidly, rendering current treatments ineffective. Ongoing research and development, as well as coordination on a global scale, are needed to mitigate this threat and ensure the availability of such therapies.
3. Sustainability
Malaria control efforts require sustained investments and raise the issue of how to continue the work once initial global support ends. Global collaborations must reinforce local capacity so that malaria control programs sustain their efforts after initial support ends.
5. The Role of Local Communities
Finally, local communities play a vital role in malaria control efforts. They are much more likely to follow public health initiatives to use ITNs, to seek treatment promptly, and to participate in health education if they are involved in implementing the program. Partnerships that include local stakeholders are more likely to be successful at creating sustained change.
Finally, global partnerships are key for treating children with malaria across the world. The success of these collaborations means joining together resources, knowledge, and efforts to increase the impact of malaria prevention, treatment, and mobilization. The success stories of the Global Fund, PMI, and MVI are a testament to the power of working together to conquer one of the world’s deadliest health problems.
Looking ahead, sustained investment in partnerships, research, and community engagement will be needed to keep up the momentum, and ultimately eradicate the disease. Together, we can get closer to the day when no child dies of malaria.
In doing so, we support global partnerships whose values liberate children from lifelong disadvantage with the promise of 100 healthy, happy, and productive years.
