Progress towards subnational elimination in the Philippines

Overview

This case study describes how the Philippines has reduced its malaria cases by three quarters between 2000 and 2011, with one third of provinces having eliminated the disease as of 2013. The major decline in malaria is believed to be the result of several key actions: development of new stratification criteria, early detection and prompt treatment, strengthening of vector control, strengthening of surveillance and epidemic management, scale-up of quality services, intensification of health promotion, and building of local capacity to manage and sustain the programme. 

The case study further describes how the National Malaria Control Programme strives for nationwide elimination by 2020 and how its experience can serve as useful guidance for other countries facing similar challenges. 

This case study is part of a series of 10 publications on malaria elimination produced by the WHO Global Malaria Programme and the Global Health Group at the University of California in San Francisco with the support of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. In this series, national malaria control programmes and researchers generate new evidence about what works – and what does not – for reaching and sustaining zero malaria transmission.

It was supported by the WHO Philippines, the Asia Pacific Malaria Elimination Network (APMEN), The UCSF Global Health Group, the Philippines Department of Health and the WHO Global Malaria Programme.

Other reports have documented the malaria elimination process in Cape Verde, Bhutan, Malaysia, Mauritius, the Island of Reunion, Sri Lanka, Tunisia, Turkey and Turkmenistan.