Mind the Gap (MTG)

The University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) Malaria Elimination Initiative (MEI) is implementing the “Mind the Gap” (MTG) investment to address stagnation in malaria progress in partnership with national malaria programs (NMPs) in Ghana, Mozambique, Nigeria, Uganda, and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC),

Key Strategies

1. Implementing an updated and explicitly gender-intentional Entomological Surveillance Planning Tool (ESPT) as a foundation for data generation
2. Fostering public health entomologist champions: With a focus on female champions, to promote gender-intentional surveillance systems.
3. Systematically fortifying support structures within NMPs: Increasing the likelihood of sustainable generation and use of entomological surveillance data for decision-making.
4. Developing operationally relevant guidance: For non-core vector control tools, supporting intervention prioritization and evaluation.

Partnership and Governance

1. Equitable partnership: Mutual accountability and mutual benefit, aiming to create a legacy of locally-based experts and enhanced institutional capacity.
2. Co-lead governance: Partner NMPs will co-lead governance of this investment through a new management board.

Expected Outcomes

1. Enhanced capacity: For entomological surveillance, data-driven decision-making, and gender-intentional programming.
2. Improved guidance: For non-core vector control tools, supporting evidence-based decision-making.
3. Sustainable impact: Locally-based experts, enhanced institutional capacity, and resilient surveillance systems.

Approach to achieving Intermediate Outcomes

1. Individual and Institutional Capacity for Vector Surveillance is Strengthened: The MEI is strengthening individual and institutional capacity for vector surveillance through a comprehensive approach. This includes supporting the professional development of early-career entomologist fellows, with a focus on advancing female entomologists, and systematically strengthening institutional capacity of NMP partners through collaborative development and implementation of action plans.
2. Vector Surveillance Systems are Fit-for-Purpose: The MEI is supporting NMP partners to develop fit-for-purpose approaches to vector control and surveillance. This involves generating evidence through country-owned and gender-intentional projects, grounded in the updated Entomological Surveillance Planning Tool (ESPT). Entomology fellows are developing, implementing, and disseminating results from their surveillance projects.
3. Evidence on Larvicide Delivery and Evaluation: The MEI is developing, iterating, and disseminating a larviciding evaluation and decision-support framework to enable NMPs to evaluate the impact of larviciding on malaria transmission. The framework will be piloted in two partner countries, and longer-lasting larvicide products will be evaluated.
4. National Malaria Programs Equipped with Decision Support: The MEI is developing a vector control prioritization framework to support NMPs in deploying an expanded vector control toolbox. The framework will be guided by an initial evidence gap analysis and informed by the latest literature and data. The MEI is collaborating with global partners to ensure a comprehensive approach.

Gates Foundation project details

Capacity Building
Surveillance
Vector Control

May 2024 — Apr 2028

$10.05M

Dem. Rep. of Congo
Ghana
Mozambique
Nigeria
Uganda