The Global communities have been renewing commitment towards control and prevention of malaria for more than a decade. The first step towards this effort was to meet all Ministers of health from malaria endemic countries in Amesterdam in 1994. The resolution created malaria control units/structures within the Ministries of Public Health and development of strategic plans of Action.
Kenyan government launched her Plan of Action in April 1994. It further renewed its effort with the World Health Organization embalming the Roll Back Malaria initiative (RBM).
The RBM movement brought all malaria players together increasing resources toward malaria control and adopting sound and feasible strategies.
The formation of technical committee to oversee the implementation of technical sound malaria interventions made recognition of malaria researchers and malaria research institutes.
Reviewed research work was strategically positioned in planning for feasible intervention measures. Regular review of meetings, malaria conferences, and presentation during the malaria stack-holders forums become common.
The first GOK malaria plan of action was reviewed in 2001 and runs up to 2010 with malaria intervention strategies indicated elsewhere.
All the intervention strategic approaches have to be guided by operational research as they must be based on evidence. For examples, in malaria vectors control, insecticide treated bed nets and long lasting insecticide treated nets have been proven by researchers to be one of the most effective methods of preventing malaria infections.
Based on these findings, many Africa governments including the Kenyan government have scaled up this intervention which have resulted into low morbidity and mortality.
The second example may be drawn from regular change of anti-malaria drug policy. In 1998, studies from eight sites revealed that there was an 85% failure rate in the use of chloroquine drug as first line treatment in areas such as Kisumu.
The country adopted SP as replacement for chloroquine drug as the first line of treatment. Within 5 – 6 years of the SP introduction, resistance to SP reached 25% high in some of the eight sites. These again call for yet another policy change in 2004, where the country adopted AL . The life span of AL cannot be predicted but operational research unit is following any possible resistance to this drug in readiness to inform policy.
Activities planned for implementation in 2007/2008
Network coordination of partners working in malaria research institution.
Evaluation and maintenance of updated records of pesticides which are useful in control of malaria vectors.
Coordinated national malaria research agenda.
Country specific data on RDTs use available.
Specific data on 1st and 2nd line antimalarial drug efficacy.
Country specific Data on ACT drug policy implementation and therapeutic effectiveness.
Country specific data on piloting ACTs in the informal sector.
Provision of evidence base on ITN/LLIN distribution mechanism.
Country specific data on public health insecticide, LLIN efficacy and IRS operational performance.