EVERY FEVER IS NOT MALARIA, BE ABSOLUTELY SURE.
Scaling up diagnostic testing, treatment and surveillance for malaria. – T3: Test. Treat. Track.
The April 2012 WHO Global Malaria Programme initiative – T3: Test. Treat. Track; supports malaria-endemic countries in their efforts to achieve universal coverage with diagnostic testing and antimalarial treatment, as well as in strengthening their malaria surveillance systems.
The initiative seeks to focus the attention of policy-makers and donors on the importance of adopting WHO’s latest evidence-based recommendations on diagnostic testing, treatment and surveillance, and on updating existing malaria control and elimination strategies, as well as country-specific operational plans. Malaria-endemic countries should ensure that every suspected malaria case is tested, that every confirmed case is treated with a quality-assured antimalarial medicine, and that the disease is tracked through timely and accurate surveillance systems to guide policy and operational decisions.
By strengthening diagnostic testing, treatment and surveillance through the T3 Initiative, affected countries will substantially improve child and maternal health; provide the much-needed bridge between efforts to achieve universal coverage with prevention tools and the goal of eliminating malaria deaths, and eventually eradicating the disease. It will also lead to a better overall understanding of the disease burden and enable national malaria control programmes to better direct available resources to where they are most needed.