AKU launches malaria elimination plan for Thatta

karachi: In a bold move to tackle one of Pakistan’s most persistent public health threats, the Aga Khan University (AKU), along with national and international partners, has launched the Thatta Malaria Elimination Plan (TMEP) — a landmark initiative aimed at eradicating malaria from one of the country’s hardest-hit regions.

The project was formally launched on World Malaria Day and brings fresh optimism to Thatta, where more than 10,000 malaria cases were reported in 2023 —the highest in the country.

Malaria continues to pose a global health crisis, with 247 million cases and 619,000 deaths reported worldwide. Pakistan, particularly the South-East Asia region, remains a significant contributor to ongoing transmission, with 95% of the population at risk.

Beyond health, the disease continues to drag on Pakistan’s social and economic development, especially in underserved and climate-vulnerable districts like Thatta.

“This is not just a health issue,” said Prof. M. Asim Beg, Principal Investigator and TMEP Project Lead. “It’s a multidimensional challenge driven by socioeconomic vulnerabilities, post-flood consequences, limited healthcare access, and climatic changes that allow the disease to thrive. Thatta is an ideal region to pilot diverse intervention strategies.”

The launch event also marked the introduction of the Malaria Elimination Consortium, created by AKU in 2023 to support Pakistan’s national malaria elimination strategy. It laid the foundation for TMEP as a locally grounded, data-driven response to malaria control.

With its ambitious vision to transform Thatta into a malaria-free zone, the project aims to serve as a scalable model that could be replicated across Sindh, Pakistan, and other malaria-endemic regions worldwide.

Led by the AKU, the project is being implemented in partnership with the Government of Pakistan, the Government of Sindh, and the Directorate of Malaria Control, with support from international organizations including GLIDE, Zenysis Technologies, and Universidade NOVA de Lisboa. These partners bring in vital financial resources, technology, and global expertise to the initiative.

The TMEP also reinforces collaboration across national, provincial, and district-level actors, creating a coordinated platform for future nationwide scale-up. Dr. Azra Pechuho, Sindh’s Minister for Health and Patron-in-Chief of the project, praised the initiative, stating, “The Government of Sindh is proud to support this incredible initiative, which has the potential to uplift suffering communities across Sindh.”

The plan will also benefit from the findings of the international EFFORT clinical trial, which introduced novel treatment options aimed at reducing malaria recurrence and improving patient adherence. “What made this trial unique was our commitment to testing treatment options as close to real-world conditions as possible,” said Dr. Salim Virani, Vice Provost Research at AKU.

Conducted in Karachi and Thatta—two of Pakistan’s malaria hotspots—the trial showed promising results. A single-dose treatment, Tafenoquine, dramatically reduced recurrence rates and could prove pivotal in addressing treatment abandonment in Pakistan.

The Thatta Malaria Elimination Plan aligns with the World Malaria Day 2025 theme: “Malaria Ends With Us: Reinvest, Reimagine, Reignite.” Alongside its core objective of eliminating malaria from Thatta, the initiative will also strengthen the local health system’s capacity for diagnosis, treatment, and surveillance.

Crucially, it aims to foster long-term behavioral change through greater community engagement and grassroots ownership in malaria prevention.

With a combination of scientific innovation, local leadership, and international collaboration, the TMEP offers a beacon of hope—not just for Thatta, but for the global fight to end malaria.