Role of a dedicated support group in retaining Sri Lanka's malaria-free status

Abstract

The Asia Pacific Leaders Malaria Alliance (APLMA) is an affiliation of Asia and Pacific heads of government, formed to accelerate progress against malaria and to eliminate it in the region by 2030. The APLMA Malaria Elimination Roadmap , endorsed by 22 Asia Pacific countries, calls for each country to consider establishing a National Malaria Elimination Task Force (or similar body), chaired by a senior central agency ofThe APLMA Leaders'f icial for national stewardship towards the 2030 malaria elimination goal. The APLMA Leaders' Dashboard was developed to track progress and achievement in malaria control and elimination in 22 countries in the Asia Pacific. One of the indicators on the APLMA Leaders Dashboard is to note the progress towards formation of a National Task Force (or equivalent). It is proposed that the task force or equivalent body shall meet at least once a year to take necessary actions to ensure that national targets are met. This case study elaborates on Sri Lanka's success story in eliminating malaria and maintaining the malaria free status. The case highlights the role of a committed advisory group in achieving this and the lessons learnt from Sri Lanka's experience. The case study also briefly mentions the formation of the national and state Task Forces in India [Figure 1], to support the phased elimination strategy, and the need of having a ‘whole of society’ approach in light of the complexity of the malaria landscape.