DUSHANBE, February 10, Asia-Plus — Mr. Valery Chernyavsky, GFATM Portfolio Manager for Eastern Europe and Central Asia, will visit Tajikistan between February 12 and 16 to see implementation of GFATM grants in Tajikistan on HIV/AIDS and Tuberculosis and finalize preparations for launch of malaria grant with UNDP Tajikistan as an implementing partner, according to information form the UNDP Dushanbe Office.
The source says malaria, nearly a forgotten disease in the Central Asian region in the 1980s, could become a major obstacle to developing countries of
Central Asia
. Deterioration of the malaria situation in the country in the 1990s was linked to armed conflict, mass population movement across zones of intensive transmission of malaria, particularly
Afghanistan
, and limited capacities of public health care services.
Taking into consideration a scope of malaria problem in
Tajikistan
, in May 2005, Country proposal was presented on behalf of the National Coordination Committee to fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria (CCM) to GFATM and later approved by the Global Fund. The proposal is aimed at supporting the National malaria control program in
Tajikistan
and the total amount granted for 5-year period (2006-2010) is USD 5.3 million.
The overall goal of the grant program is to contain and prevent malaria outbreaks, decrease morbidity and mortality, as well as reduce socio-economic impact of the disease.
Currently, the United Nations Development Program in
Tajikistan
, in close cooperation with the National Coordination Committee, is implementing two GFATM grants directed to support the national efforts in fighting the HIV/AIDS epidemic. The Grant allocation to fight malaria will create an opportunity for scaling up existing country infection disease control efforts, because Tajikistan has committed itself to an intensive response to the burden of malaria and, for this purpose, had developed National malaria control strategy in 1997.
UNDP Tajikistan will apply efforts to amplify cooperation with national governmental and nongovernmental partners to ensure wide-scale and long-term interventions on malaria prevention in
Tajikistan
.
