Malaria vector control – the control of mosquitoes – at Mulanje Mission Hospital was a casestudy to learn from for national malaria control managers from nine African countries and donors this week. We presented our programme in Zambia at a Roll Back Malaria partnership meeting: the lessons we learnt and the challenges that were overcome over the years.

MMH delivers a key component of malaria control, indoor spraying, at low cost – less than 1 dollar per person protected per year, whereas other programmes reported costs between 3,80 and 17 dollars. This reaffirms that small organizations like ours can contribute effectively to the elimination of malaria by 2040 through effective partnerships with non-traditional funders such as businesses.

Malawi has started vaccinating against malaria too, although Mulanje is yet to be included. This new tool will have to be used in addition to bednets, indoor spraying and other existing tools, and hence, preparations are underway for spraying this season again.