Transaid Launches New Guidelines to Expand Community Use of Rectal Artesunate for Severe Malaria

Transaid, supported by Brigade Electronics for formatting and design, aims to make the material accessible for rapid deployment by national programmes.

Global Launch to Health Sector Leaders

The guidelines were introduced to a global audience in March via a webinar, attended by ministry officials, national malaria programme staff, and development practitioners. The webinar highlighted the urgent need for scalable, practical solutions to address severe malaria in remote areas.

Zambia's Success Story Offers a Model

Building on Proven Results

Transaid's work through the MAMaZ Against Malaria programme in Zambia, in collaboration with MMV, underpins the guidelines. Between 2017 and 2021, the intervention was rolled out across 10 districts and later expanded by Zambia's Ministry of Health. A WHO report in 2019 cited the approach as "feasible, safe, and effective" for hard-to-reach communities.

One notable early application of the new guidelines involved Zambian trainers travelling to Nigeria to support rollout in five states, illustrating the potential for cross-border knowledge transfer.

Industry Endorsement

Hans Rietveld, Director of Access and Product Management at MMV, praised Zambia's efforts as "a shining light" for others, noting that strengthening referral pathways and training community healthcare workers are vital to saving lives.

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Meeting Global Demand for Practical Tools

The new guidelines respond directly to country-level requests for operational guidance following the 2023 update of WHO’s Malaria Guidelines. With RAS now included in WHO recommendations since 2015, the need for accessible, replicable implementation strategies has grown, particularly in countries with high rural populations.

Caroline Barber, Chief Executive of Transaid, reflected on the project's impact, saying: "The guidelines combine everything we've learned about the importance of community engagement, drug supply chains, emergency transport, and access to life-saving medicines."

Community-based healthcare interventions like the RAS rollout are gaining increased attention across sectors facing rural access challenges, including the tyre industry. Lessons in building effective referral networks, local training, and supply chain management mirror innovations seen in tyre distribution and service models in emerging markets. Both sectors show that sustainable impact often depends on community-level empowerment and streamlined logistics.

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Tagged with: community health, severe malaria, rectal artesunate, RAS implementation, Transaid, Medicines for Malaria Venture, rural healthcare, Zambia, health supply chain, community healthcare workers

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