Global Health Initiative and President's Malaria Initiative

	Using a cell phone, a health worker enters data into Zanzibar’s early malaria case detection and reporting system, which was made possible through a novel public-private partnership. Participating health facilities report the total number of outpatient visits, the number of laboratory-confirmed malaria cases, and the number of persons tested for malaria that week. Source: Hafidh Mohammed/RTI

Improve metrics and monitoring and evaluation

Careful monitoring and evaluation is critical to document the progress of global malaria control efforts. To assess the impact of its programs along with those of other donors and partners, PMI monitors coverage of major malaria interventions, changes in all-cause mortality in children under 5, and changes in the prevalence of malaria infections and severe anemia.

During the next five years, PMI will continue its close coordination with NMCPs and national and international partners. PMI will work through the Roll Back Malaria (RBM) Monitoring and Evaluation Reference Group to standardize data collection and reporting using internationally accepted indicators. As part of this effort, PMI will continue to support host country efforts to develop costed national malaria monitoring and evaluation plans; and build and strengthen national and provincial- and district-level capacity in monitoring and evaluation, including routine data collection systems for health, passive and active malaria surveillance, data analysis, and use of data for decision making.

To evaluate whether mortality reduction goals have been achieved, PMI will examine trends in all-cause child mortality, malaria parasitemia, and severe anemia; coverage of malaria control measures (e.g., long-lasting ITNs, indoor residual spraying (IRS) protection); and other factors influencing all-cause child mortality (e.g., vaccination coverage) and malaria-related mortality (e.g., rainfall). These trends will be used to establish whether mortality has decreased and whether mortality reductions can be attributed to programmatic efforts. Mathematical models will be used to assist in quantifying the reductions in malaria-related mortality. PMI will not try to attribute increases in coverage of malaria interventions or reductions in malaria morbidity and mortality to USG-supported efforts alone. Instead, PMI will measure progress toward achieving national and international goals and targets that result from the combined efforts of host country governments and other partners involved in malaria control in that country.

As malaria transmission declines, PMI will help build national capacity for malaria surveillance at the health facility level, and using experience gained in Asia and South America, surveillance will be expanded to community health workers. At the same time, district health teams need to have the capability to respond in a timely fashion so that resurgences of malaria can be rapidly contained. With the threat of parasite resistance to antimalarial drugs and anopheline mosquito resistance to insecticides, PMI will also assist countries in establishing systems for routine monitoring of antimalarial drug and insecticide resistance.