AFRO-NETS> Brief Report on the Multilateral Initiative on Malaria (MIM)

[shakakatar@whoafr.org]

Brief Report on the Multilateral Initiative on Malaria (MIM)
------------------------------------------------------------
Source: <ahila-net@who.ch>


Dear colleagues,

Below is a brief report on MIM conference which took place in Durban 
14-19 March, 1999. 

Regina 
mailto:shakakatar@whoafr.org


The MIM Conference provided a unique forum for researchers, health 
professionals and control programme personnel to meet together and 
discuss current activities and future action to address the burden of 
malaria in Africa. The presentations were divided into two categories 
namely the 'Daily Plenary Presentations' which highlighted key ma-
laria research results and opportunities in ten theme areas and the 
'Breakaway Sessions' that addressed these areas in greater depth 
through short presentations and discussions. 

I presented in the breakaway sessions at the COMMUNICATIONS AND 
CONNECTIVITY GROUP - ISSUES FROM THE LIBRARIANS PERSPECTIVE REGARDING 
MIM: WHO/AFRO Health Literature Services - LIBRARY RELATED OUTCOME OF 
MIM. MIM aims to end malaria disease through intensified malaria re-
search. Therefore the role of health sciences/medical libraries in 
supporting the efforts MIM cannot be overemphasised. As a matter of 
fact, libraries are as important to medical researchers as laborato-
ries are to medical research. This implies that if malaria research 
in Africa has to make a difference, the capacities of related librar-
ies/documentation/information centres have to be strengthened along 
the lines of malaria research. It is for this reason that the Na-
tional Library of Medicine and the ATCC came forward with related 
considerations to support malaria research in Africa. 

1. The National Library of Medicine (NLM) in Washington DC, USA is 
considering establishing one or two Document Partners among some li-
braries that are strategically placed in Africa. 

2. The ATCC a branch of the National Institute of Health (NIH) has a 
repository of biological and scientific resources and related infor-
mation, probably the largest in the world. There is a possibility 
that access to this repository and information on malaria could be 
facilitated for some health institutions/organisations in Africa. 


ROLL BACK MALARIA (RBM) 

Roll Back malaria is an initiative of the World Health Organization 
(WHO) to end malaria. Several RBM presentations by WHO showed the 
conference the thinking behind RBM and the current efforts by the or-
ganization to finish the disease. MIM conference acknowledged the 
work done by WHO/HQ and WHO/AFRO on malaria. MIM further noted the 
great potential of the Roll Back Malaria programme in ending the dis-
ease. The conference concluded that MIM was key to Roll Back Malaria 
because it is a crucible of ideas of knowledge; it is a catalytic 
movement and it is committed to end malaria. The conference recom-
mended that Roll Back Malaria to be on the Internet. 


ACTIONS/MIM SUPPORT TO ROLL BACK MALARIA 

Presentations by malaria researchers from around the world exposed 
the many innovations made by both scientists and malaria programme 
managers to not only to cure malaria, but to prevent it as well. In 
spite of the reported successes in malaria control, there were still 
gaps that needed to be bridged by all stake-holders in the malaria 
control programmes. Some of the suggested actions to be considered 
for future progress on malaria control are listed below. In general, 
the meeting concluded on how MIM could support RBM. 

The under-listed were some of the suggestions-: 

- Get more scientists to research on malaria. 
- Widen the science base to improve malaria research. 
- Develop better interfaces between malaria researchers and programme
  mangers. 
- Bridge the gap between malaria researchers and programme managers. 
- Provide greater technical support to malaria. 
- Access to synthesised malaria information. 
- Encourage the development of effective strategies for RBM. 
- Compartmentalise malaria into sector-wide actions. 
- Develop intensive efforts to yield positive outcomes of malaria re-
  search. 
- Help malaria programme managers to achieve better results. 
- Sponsor a social movement to combat malaria. 
- Control of malaria under the RBM programme to be developed in three
  steps-: 
  I)   The country level process; 
  II)  Through regular regional meetings and 
  III) By developing focused horizon of 10-15 years. 


WORLD MALARIA DAY 

The MIM conference emphasised the need to mobilise for malaria con-
trol through lobbying and advocacy. The conference strongly felt the 
need to involve as many people as possible in the campaign against 
malaria by recommending. A World Malaria Day was suggested for a non-
fixed date starting with 21 June, the longest day in the Southern 
Hemisphere.


--
Send mail for the `AFRO-NETS' conference to `afro-nets@usa.healthnet.org'.
Mail administrative requests to `majordomo@usa.healthnet.org'.
For additional assistance, send mail to:  `owner-afro-nets@usa.healthnet.org'.