Less than a week after Yemen Donors' Conference in Yemen which sought to target and define development areas and opportunities in the impoverished nation, Health Minister Ahmed al-Ans announced a $4 million grant to fight malaria had been allocated by GFATM (Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria).
Minister al-Ansi explained GFATM had agreed to extend its funding to Yemen after it measured the tangible progress the health authorities had made in fighting off malaria through a series of programs and awareness campaigns.
The Health minister added that the grant will help bridge the financing gap for malaria control activities in Yemen for 2013 - 2014.
Created in 2002, the Global Fund is an international financing institution dedicated to attracting and disbursing resources to prevent and treat HIV and AIDS, TB and malaria. The Global Fund promotes partnerships among governments, civil society, the private sector and affected communities, the most effective way to help reach those in need. This innovative approach relies on country ownership and performance-based funding, meaning that people in countries implement their own programs based on their priorities and the Global Fund provides financing where verifiable results are achieved.
GFATM goals are complemented by disease-specific targets aligned with the global targets set by UNAIDS, the World Health Organization, and the Stop TB and Roll Back Malaria partnerships.
Malaria is a mosquito-borne infectious disease caused by protists, a microorganism. The disease will enter the patient's blood stream through the mosquito bite until it reaches hte liver where it will mature and reproduce.
Malaria causes symptoms that typically include fever and headache, which in severe cases can progress to coma or death. The disease is widespread in tropical and subtropical regions.