Malaria Projects at RTI: A Selection
RTI International has been working for over 12 years to prevent and control vector-borne diseases such as malaria and dengue fever. Through our work in Africa and Asia, RTI has become an important partner in the goal to reduce malaria morbidity and mortality. Our efforts in sub-Saharan Africa currently focus on Angola, Benin, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Liberia, Madagascar, Mali, Malawi, Mozambique, Rwanda, Senegal, Tanzania and Zanzibar, Uganda, and Zambia.
By working in field locales under a variety of conditions, RTI has gained invaluable experience with many of the principal tools being used in malaria control programs today, including
- Reduction of malaria transmission through vector (mosquito) control methods, including indoor residual spraying (IRS), insecticide-treated nets (ITNs), environmental management, and larvicides
- Improved malaria surveillance and analysis of disease transmission patterns
- Early detection and rapid response to malaria epidemics
- Applied research to improve program effectiveness
- Training and supervision to strengthen human resources
- Data management and analysis to strengthen program management and evaluation
President's Malaria Initiative
Introduced in 2005, the President’s Malaria Initiative (PMI) aims to reduce malaria-related mortality by 50 percent in 15 African countries over 5 years. The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), in conjunction with the Department of Health and Human Services (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention), the Department of State, and the White House, provides strategic leadership to the effort.
In 2006, RTI was awarded a five-year Indefinite Quantity Contract to provide technical, procurement, and operational support for Indoor Residual Spraying (IRS) programs as part of the PMI. Under this contract, we are helping expand the use of IRS in the following countries: Angola, Benin, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Liberia, Madagascar, Mali, Malawi, Mozambique, Rwanda, Senegal, Uganda, and Zambia. In addition, we are implementing the five-year Malaria Control in Mainland Tanzania and Zanzibar project, which is being highlighted by USAID as the most successful example of the PMI to date.
In January 2007, RTI published a Programmatic Environmental Assessment (PEA) of the environmental and human health issues related to all integrated vector management activities. We are currently working with ministries of health across Africa to implement IRS using the PEA as the foundation for best practices, quality control, and quality assurance.
Program Leadership
We led USAID's Integrated Vector Management (IVM) Task Order within the Population, Health, and Nutrition Technical Assistance and Support Contract (TASC 2) from 2004 to 2007, and in 2007 were awarded the follow-on contract scheduled to operate until 2010. We have also implemented other projects for USAID, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and private sector clients. We work closely in these programs with many partners, including the World Health Organization, World Bank, other partners in Roll Back Malaria, and leading international universities and research institutes.
The following activities highlight the range of our program leadership:
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| Controlling malaria with insecticide sprayed on the inside walls of homes to kill mosquitoes |
- Indoor residual spraying
In Tanzania and Zanzibar, more than 739,816 dwellings, or 93% of targeted structures, have been sprayed in Tanzania and Zanzibar, helping to protect a population of over one million. As a result, malaria prevalence in Zanzibar has been widely controlled. To date, over 21 million structures in 15 countries have been sprayed by RTI projects since 2006. - Demonstrating the use of environmental management and larvicides
We helped establish an international collaboration of research institutions to investigate the potential of larval control methods for reducing malaria transmission in urban areas, arid zones, and highlands in Africa. Field studies were completed in Eritrea, Kenya, and Tanzania. Study findings are summarized in this news release. - Improving ITN usage in Northern Uganda
We worked with residents of camps in Lira District, Northern Uganda, which were established to house internally displaced persons. Community Outreach Resource Persons provide nets and promote their use via health education and encouragement, and by helping residents hang the ITNs in their homes. - Improving malaria information and education in South Africa
In three provinces of South Africa with seasonal malaria, we supported the Healthy Children, Healthy HomesTM program, a school-based educational effort sponsored by S.C. Johnson & Son, Inc. - Reducing malaria transmission in urban areas
In Uganda, we provided technical support to help local government teams test the use of environmental management methods in Kampala and Jinja. The program produced substantial reductions in malaria transmission in urban neighborhoods.
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| Eritrea's zonal malaria coordinators, front-line managers in the country's fight against malaria |
- Analyzing the economic impact of malaria interventions
In Ethiopia and Tanzania, we have conducted several studies measuring the economic impact of malaria and the private demand for malaria prevention technologies. - Comparing artemisinin combination treatment (ACT) with sulphadoxine-pyrimethamine (SP) for treatment of uncomplicated malaria
We worked with Nepal's Ministry of Health to compare the ACT Coartem® (artemether-lumefantrine) with SP for treatment of uncomplicated malaria in two districts. - Measuring the impact of public health interventions on disease incidence
We have considerable experience evaluating public health interventions in developing countries using both randomized and nonrandomized trials. - Providing early warning of potential malaria epidemics
In Eritrea, RTI and our partners developed a malaria early warning system that integrates a geographic information system (GIS), satellite imagery, and long-term records to identify locations at which recent rainfall exceeds expected levels.