Today, we commemorate 15 years of the U.S. President’s Malaria Initiative (PMI). PMI has been a lead driver of progress against malaria thus far and it’s continued leadership is vital in the global fight to end malaria as well as to respond to COVID-19 and other emerging health threats. Thanks to strong bipartisan support and robust funding from Congress, PMI protects more than 570 million people from malaria every year. In countries where PMI works, there has been a 60% decline in malaria death rates. Further, in the course of just one year, PMI trained over 30,000 health care workers in diagnosing malaria, and over 39,000 in clinical care.
PMI’s commitment to strengthening health systems has enabled countries to handle threats beyond malaria, such as COVID-19. Early diagnosing of malaria – through critical tools such as rapid diagnostic tests – enable health workers to distinguish malaria from COVID-19 cases and helps free-up much-needed capacity.
Stepped up support from the U.S. government and other international partners is the only way our world stays on the right path toward eliminating malaria for good. That’s why we’re compiling 15 resources for you to learn more about the work of PMI and how you can take action: