Mitigating Antimalarial Resistance Consortium in South-East Africa (MARC SE-Africa)

The Mitigating Antimalarial Resistance Consortium in Southern and East Africa (MARC SE-Africa) responds to a growing crisis in malaria, one of the greatest infectious challenges facing Africa. Gains achieved in reducing the burden of malaria and advancing its elimination are now threatened by malaria parasites becoming resistant to the main group of drugs used to treat malaria, the artemisinins.

Artemisinin-based combination treatments (ACTs) are the backbone of all currently recommended malaria treatments. The potential impact of widespread ACT resistance in Africa has been estimated at 16 million more malaria cases and nearly 80 000 additional malaria deaths annually. Protecting the efficacy of current first-line malaria treatments is now a top public health priority.

The MARC SE-Africa project is designed to promote the translation of evidence of artemisinin and other drug resistance of public health significance to inform better malaria policy and practice before drug resistance increases the number of malaria cases and deaths. This consortium will provide technical support to the 18 countries of Southern and East Africa, the area historically first affected by drug resistance.

MARC SE-Africa will provide an evidence-based, reproducible model to mitigate the threat of antimalarial drug resistance and ensure sustained effective malaria treatment, including for the vulnerable communities that bear a disproportionately high burden of malaria and its sub-optimal treatment. This will include:

1. For all eighteen South-East African malaria-endemic countries predictive maps will be produced to better define antimalarial drug resistance.

2. For at least eight countries, they will expedite evidence sharing on antimalarial drug resistance with policy makers and other stakeholders.

3. For at least four countries, they will facilitate the use of evidence on antimalarial resistance to inform better malaria treatment policies and respond promptly and effectively to threats of antimalarial drug resistance.

4. In at least two countries, they will evaluate the uptake of updated malaria treatment guidelines into clinical practice by primary healthcare workers.

Project details - MARC SE-Africa

Drug Resistance
Vulnerable Populations

Apr 2023 — Mar 2027

$4.54M

Angola
Botswana
Burundi
Comoros
Kenya
Lesotho
Madagascar
Malawi
Mozambique
Namibia
Rwanda
South Africa
South Sudan
Swaziland
Tanzania
Uganda
Zambia
Zimbabwe

Malaria Molecular Surveillance (MMS)