The WHO Mekong Malaria Elimination (MME) programme is an initiative which supports malaria elimination strategies across the 6 countries of the Greater Mekong subregion (GMS): Cambodia, China (Yunnan province), the Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Myanmar, Thailand and Viet Nam. Based in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, the programme was established in 2017 as a reaction of the Emergency response to artemisinin resistance in the Greater Mekong subregion: regional framework for action 2013–2015, a high-level plan of attack launched in 2013 to respond to the spread of antimalarial drug-resistant parasites and provide life-saving interventions for all GMS populations at risk of malaria. The goal of the programme is to support the countries to achieve malaria elimination in the entire subregion by 2030. 

The MME programme works in close collaboration with the WHO country offices, WHO regional offices in South-East Asia and Western Pacific, the WHO Global Malaria Programme, national malaria programmes and partners to: 

• Promote dialogue, partnerships and coordination
• advocate on the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of malaria;
• facilitate preparation of malaria-free certification by countries;
• organize regional thematic conferences for dissemination of WHO guidance on malaria control and elimination, and where countries can present and exchange ideas and experience on malaria surveillance, operational research, and therapeutic efficacy studies.

• Optimize regional and country surveillance
  • monitor drug efficacy and strengthen malaria surveillance systems;
  • provide technical support to enhance existing malaria information systems;
  • coordinate and publish epidemiological data on malaria elimination across the 6 countries through the Malaria Elimination Database.

• Facilitate targeted advocacy and communications on the ongoing efforts to eliminate malaria in the GMS
  • publish stories, reports, and partner updates to highlight progress, share lessons learned, and maintain commitment to malaria elimination targets in the GMS countries.

• Provide technical support for malaria elimination and implementation of accelerating strategies towards malaria elimination
  • define strategies, and plan and support the implementation of intensification plans and focalized innovative and aggressive approaches;
  • deploy decentralized technical assistance in the GMS to facilitate the implementation of country-specific malaria interventions.

The Malaria Elimination Database is a cornerstone of the MME programme. The regional platform collects monthly malaria data at the district and lower levels, such as subdistricts and health facilities, using 2010 data as the baseline. Access to this database enables countries in the Greater Mekong subregion to strengthen surveillance, enhance monitoring and evaluation, analyse malaria distribution and trends, and share data through monthly epidemiological summaries and annual bulletins.

The MME programme, led by Dr Pascal Ringwald, includes a coordinator, a team associate, a database manager and several consultants. The MME programme supports the deployment of selected staff in the subregion.

The MME programme is supported financially though the Regional Artemisinin-resistance Initiative of the Global Fund to fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

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