ABBOTT PARK, Ill., Jan. 11, 2019
/PRNewswire/ -- Abbott (NYSE: ABT) announced today that it is
supporting a partnership between the government of the eastern
Indian state of Odisha and Malaria No More, providing technology,
expertise and funding support to advance efforts to end malaria in
the state.
The partnership builds on Odisha's success in significantly
driving down malaria cases and deaths in the last year. With a
population of nearly 42 million people, Odisha accounted
for about 40 percent of India's
malaria burden and one-third of Southeast
Asia's malaria burden in 2016.1 In support of
India's 2015 commitment to be
malaria-free by 2030, the government of Odisha has prioritized
malaria control and elimination.2
In collaboration with Malaria No More and the government of
Odisha, Abbott is supplying 1 million rapid diagnostic tests (RDTs)
and technical expertise to strengthen Odisha's malaria detection
and surveillance system. In addition, Abbott is providing
US$750,000 (INR 52 million) over
three years to Malaria No More to back its work with the Odisha
government to define and support a comprehensive state malaria
elimination strategy that can be used as a model for other states
to follow.
ODISHA – LEADING THE WAY IN INDIA'S COMMITMENT TO ELIMINATE
MALARIA
According to the recent WHO World Malaria Report
2018, India, with a population of 1.3 billion people, has the
fourth highest malaria burden in the world and of the 11 highest
burden countries, was the only one to have reported a reduction in
malaria cases – 24 percent – between 2016 and 2017.
In 2017, India launched its
five-year National Strategic Plan for Malaria Elimination, which
shifts focus from malaria "control" to "elimination" and provides a
road-map with targets to end malaria in 571 of India's 678 districts by 2022.
India's recent progress was
largely due to substantial reductions in malaria cases in Odisha.
Through persistent efforts and innovative approaches, Odisha
achieved an 80 percent reduction in cases in less than one year.
Odisha's success is due to innovative approaches such as training
47,000 Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHAs) to reach its most
vulnerable citizens with rapid diagnostic tests and other
life-saving malaria interventions in areas where most cases
remain.3
INNOVATIVE RAPID DIAGNOSTICS TO PLAY CRITICAL ROLE IN
DETECTING MALARIA
Eliminating malaria will require more
robust and accurate data. Rapid diagnostic tests are the frontline
first step of data collection that can provide baseline information
for Odisha's malaria surveillance system. With strategic use of
data, health officials can make better decisions about where to
deploy the most effective malaria control tools.
"Abbott is committed to supporting the partnership to help end
malaria, including sharing our life-changing technologies that can
detect malaria," said Damian
Halloran, Vice President, Infectious Disease–Emerging
Markets, Abbott. "The government of Odisha deserves enormous credit
for its commitment to the fight against this deadly disease.
Together with Malaria No More, we're looking forward to advancing
this important work and to further building out Odisha's
surveillance and data collection capacity."
The 1 million rapid diagnostic tests donated by Abbott will be
the antigen-based SD BIOLINE Malaria Ag P.f/P.v, a screening test
for the detection of Plasmodium falciparum (P.f) and
Plasmodium vivax (P.v) parasites in human whole blood.
EXPANDING THE IMPACT OF ODISHA'S SUCCESS MODEL
Expanding access to diagnostics and treatment, strengthening data
collection, distributing 11 million bed nets and improving health
care worker skills propelled Odisha's fight against malaria in
2017. The government's DAMaN initiative, which stands for Durgama
Anchalare Malaria Nirakaran, or "Malaria Control in Inaccessible
Areas," included village-wide testing for malaria using RDTs and
treatment campaigns – along with malnutrition care and other
services – to substantially reduce parasite levels before the
monsoon season caused mosquitoes and malaria to proliferate.
To increase the impact of Odisha's success model, in
August 2018, Malaria No More entered
into an agreement with the government of Odisha to provide
technical assistance to the Odisha Vector Borne Disease Control
Program (VBDCP) and support overall strategy development.
Malaria No More is working with Odisha's VBDCP to strengthen
malaria surveillance and reporting; improve data-driven
decision-making and enhance private health sector reporting of
malaria; and, create compelling health education and
behavior-change campaigns. Malaria No More is also helping the
government to engage a range of private sector, technical, academic
and media partners to support Odisha's drive toward malaria
elimination.
"Malaria No More is proud to support the government of Odisha in
its ambition to end malaria," said Martin
Edlund, CEO for Malaria No More. "We are starting to bring
on board key partners like Abbott to support expansion of Odisha's
innovative strategies and to build their capacities – particularly
in the areas of improving data and surveillance – to have even
greater impact moving forward. Supporting Odisha's work will
continue to fuel India's goal to
eliminate malaria by 2030."
ABOUT ABBOTT
At Abbott, we're committed to helping people live their best
possible life through the power of health. For more than 125 years,
we've brought new products and technologies to the world – in
nutrition, diagnostics, medical devices and branded generic
pharmaceuticals – that create more possibilities for more people at
all stages of life. Today, 99,000 of us are working to help people
live not just longer, but better, in the more than 150 countries we
serve.
Connect with us at www.abbott.com, on Facebook at
www.facebook.com/Abbott and on Twitter @AbbottNews and
@AbbottGlobal.
1 World Malaria Report 2017 and National Vector Borne
Disease Control Program data.
2 National Framework of Malaria Elimination in
India, 2016-2030.
3
https://www.who.int/malaria/news/2018/india-elimination-odisha/en/.
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SOURCE Abbott