MalariaCare is a new diagnosis and treatment project which supports the expansion of high-quality diagnosis and treatment for malaria and other childhood illnesses and infectious diseases. The project’s objectives are to:

  • Improve the accuracy of diagnostic testing in the health sector
  • Increase the percentage of suspected malaria patients who received a diagnostic test for malaria
  • Increase the percentage of patients who receive appropriate treatment for malaria or other febrile illness, consistent with test results
  • Strengthen laboratory systems at country level for the diagnosis of malaria and other infectious diseases

MalariaCare is led by PATH and supported by three other organizations: Medical Care Development International, Population Services International, and Save the Children. The MalariaCare team’s expertise includes laboratory strengthening, malaria diagnosis and treatment, and community-based management of sick children in both the public and private sectors.

MalariaCare’s approach includes:

Expanding use of high-quality diagnostics: MalariaCare seeks to improve and promote accurate diagnosis of malaria in priority countries by emphasizing expanded use of high-quality rapid diagnostic tests (RDTs) and through strengthening microscopic diagnostic capabilities. With significant improvements in quality and performance over the past several years, RDTs now offer a simple and accurate solution for point-of-care diagnosis of malaria.

Fostering appropriate treatment of febrile illness: The project is building the capacity of clinicians and community health workers to follow updated, improved treatment algorithms based on diagnostic results and moving beyond presumptive malaria treatment for all mothers and children who present with fever. This strategy improves management of malaria and other diseases characterized by fever, and focuses on use and reduction of wastage of malaria drugs (artemisinin-based combination therapies). MalariaCare supports “community case management”—a strategy to enable assessment, classification, treatment, and referral of certain health conditions in communities to complement facility-based services.

Facilitating partnerships with private-sector partners: In collaboration with ministry of health mechanisms, MalariaCare seeks to improve diagnosis and treatment from private-sector providers—both for profit and not for profit—including private clinics and hospitals, pharmacies, retail outlets, and community networks.

Please contact the MalariaCare team (malariacare@path.org) or Lawrence Barat, USAID (lbarat@usaid.gov) for more information or to request program or technical assistance.