This technical consultation, held virtually from 21–23 June 2022, was organized to assess evidence on community-based delivery of IPTp (c-IPTp) and discuss with partners involved in research and implementation of community-based intermittent preventive treatment in pregnancy. The meeting report summarizes the discussions and outcome of the consultation as these will subsequently serve as the basis for the development of new implementation guidance on the topic.

The World Health Organization's Global Technical Strategy for Malaria 2016- 2030 has been developed with the aim to help countries to reduce the human suffering caused by the world's deadliest mosquito-borne disease. Adopted by the World Health Assembly in May 2015 it provides comprehensive technical guidance to countries and development partners for the next 15 years emphasizing the importance of scaling up malaria responses and moving towards elimination. It also highlights the urgent need to increase investments across all interventions - including preventive measures diagnostic testing treatment and disease surveillance- as well as in harnessing innovation and expanding research. By adopting this strategy WHO Member States have endorsed the bold vision of a world free of malaria and set the ambitious new target of reducing the global malaria burden by 90% by 2030. They also agreed to strengthen health systems address emerging multi-drug and insecticide resistance and intensify national cross-border and regional efforts to scale up malaria responses to protect everyone at risk.

Intermittent preventive treatment in pregnancy (IPTp) with sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine (SP) is a long-standing WHO recommendation; however, according to the latest World malaria report, 58% of pregnant women are still not benefiting from this protective intervention. This field guide focuses on minimizing these missed opportunities by increasing IPTp coverage using a community-based delivery approach (c-IPTp) through trained community health workers, complementing deployment of IPTp-SP at antenatal care clinics. The approach is well aligned with the updated IPTp recommendations published in the WHO guidelines for malaria on 3 June 2022. The document outlines essential steps and provides guidance to countries on the adoption and deployment of c-IPTp so that it is integrated into the existing health system. It draws upon best practices and lessons learned from pilot implementation experiences in eight African countries and targets stakeholders at the national level that are involved in the provision of maternal and child services, including national and local policymakers and implementers of malaria, maternal health, child health, reproductive health and community health programmes, and nongovernmental and other organizations. Countries that decide to introduce c-IPTp are encouraged to adapt the guidance given in this document to their national and local contexts.

This report provides a comprehensive, global overview of antimalarial drug efficacy and the resistance of malaria parasites to the antimalarial medicines used between 2000 and June 2010. Policy-makers in national ministries of health will benefit from this document, as it provides both a global and a regional picture of the efficacy of the antimalarial medicines currently used in national treatment programmes. In addition, the report will be a reference for scientists, enhancing their understanding of the complexity of antimalarial drug resistance.

On 18–20 April 2023, the WHO Malaria Policy Advisory Group (MPAG) convened to review updates and progress, and to provide guidance on thematic areas of work by the Global Malaria Programme. The meeting focused on the following topics: 1) the RBM Partnership to End Malaria evaluation of the “High burden to high impact” (HBHI) approach; 2) updates on the vector control, treatment and diagnostic recommendations in the WHO guidelines for malaria; 3) revisiting comparative effectiveness in the context of the arrival of new vector control products; 4) an update on certification of malaria elimination and the E-2025 Global Forum; 5) an update on the RTS,S/AS01 Malaria Vaccine Implementation Programme and WHO evidence review for the R21/Matrix-M vaccine; 6) an update on the work areas of the Strategic Information for Response Unit; 7) a report from the technical consultation on the effectiveness of rectal artesunate (RAS) and field implementation manual; 8) a report from the technical consultation on community-based delivery of intermittent preventive treatment of malaria in pregnancy (IPTp); 9) an update on the WHO/TDR field implementation manual for seasonal malaria chemoprevention (SMC); 10) an update on the Anopheles stephensi regional strategy; 11) an update on histidine-rich protein 2 (HRP2) gene deletions and global response plan; and 12) an update on antimalarial drug resistance in Africa.

Within the continuum of reproductive health care, antenatal care provides a platform for important health-care functions, including health promotion, screening and diagnosis, and disease prevention. It has been established that, by implementing timely and appropriate evidence-based practices, antenatal care can save lives. Endorsed by the United Nations Secretary-General, this is a comprehensive WHO guideline on routine antenatal care for pregnant women and adolescent girls. It aims to complement existing WHO guidelines on the management of specific pregnancy-related complications. The guidance captures the complex nature of the antenatal care issues surrounding healthcare practices and delivery, and prioritizes person-centered health and well-being --- not only the prevention of death and morbidity --- in accordance with a human rights-based approach.

For more than 50 years, low-cost antimalarial drugs silently saved millions of lives and cured billions of debilitating infections. Today, however, these drugs no longer work against the deadliest form of malaria that exists throughout the world. Malaria deaths in sub-Saharan Africaâ€"currently just over one million per yearâ€"are rising because of increased resistance to the old, inexpensive drugs. Although effective new drugs called "artemisinins" are available, they are unaffordable for the majority of the affected population, even at a cost of one dollar per course. Saving Lives, Buying Time: Economics of Malaria Drugs in an Age of Resistance examines the history of malaria treatments, provides an overview of the current drug crisis, and offers recommendations on maximizing access to and effectiveness of antimalarial drugs. The book finds that most people in endemic countries will not have access to currently effective combination treatments, which should include an artemisinin, without financing from the global community. Without funding for effective treatment, malaria mortality could double over the next 10 to 20 years and transmission will intensify.

Malaria remains an important cause of illness and death in children and adults in countries in which it is endemic. Malaria control requires an integrated approach including prevention (primarily vector control) and prompt treatment with effective antimalarial agents. Malaria case management consisting of prompt diagnosis and effective treatment remains a vital component of malaria control and elimination strategies. Since the publication of the first edition of the Guidelines for the treatment of malaria in 2006 and the second edition in 2010 all countries in which P. falciparum malaria is endemic have progressively updated their treatment policy from use of ineffective monotherapy to the currently recommended artemisinin-based combination therapies (ACT). This has contributed substantially to current reductions in global morbidity and mortality from malaria. Unfortunately resistance to artemisinins has arisen recently in P. falciparum in South-East Asia which threatens these gains. This third edition of the WHO Guidelines for the treatment of malaria contains updated recommendations based on a firmer evidence base for most antimalarial drugs and in addition include recommendation on the use of drugs to prevent malaria in groups at high risk. The Guidelines provide a framework for designing specific detailed national treatment protocols taking into account local patterns of resistance to antimalarial drugs and health service capacity. It provides recommendations on treatment of uncomplicated and severe malaria in all age groups all endemic areas in special populations and several complex situations. In addition on the use of antimalarial drugs as preventive therapy in healthy people living in malaria-endemic areas who are high risk in order to reduce morbidity and mortality from malaria. The Guidelines are designed primarily for policy-makers in ministries of health who formulate country-specific treatment guidelines. Other groups that may find them useful include health professionals and public health and policy specialists that are partners in health or malaria control and the pharmaceutical industry. The treatment recommendations in the main document are brief; for those who wish to study the evidence base in more detail a series of annexes is provided with references to the appropriate sections of the main document.

This guide provides a full range of updated, evidence-based norms and standards that will enable health care providers to give high quality care during pregnancy, delivery and in the postpartum period, considering the needs of the mother and her newborn baby. All recommendations are for skilled attendants working at the primary level of health care, either at the facility or in the community. They apply to all women attending antenatal care, in delivery, postpartum or post abortion care, or who come for emergency care, and to all newborns at birth and during the first week of life (or later) for routine and emergency care. This guide is a guide for clinical decision-making. It facilitates the collection; analysis, classification and use of relevant information by suggesting key questions, essential observations and/or examinations, and recommending appropriate research-based interventions. It promotes the early detection of complications and the initiation of early and appropriate treatment, including time referral, if necessary. Correct use of this guide should help reduce high maternal and perinatal mortality and morbidity rates prevalent in many parts of the developing world, thereby making pregnancy and childbirth safer.

Provides effective diagnosis and management of infectious diseases in pregnant women in a single comprehensive available resource for busy clinicians.