National Malaria Strategic Plan (NMSP) of Lao PDR: 2016 – 2020

Note: A more recent NMSP is available. View it here (link). 

This National Strategic Plan for Malaria Control and Elimination 2016-2020 lays out the goals, objectives, strategies, parties responsible and coordination mechanisms, and costs to successfully reduce the burden of malaria in the Lao People’s Democratic Republic (PDR) over the next five years to prepare the country for national elimination by 2030. The 2016-2020 Strategy is the first part of a three-phase approach to eliminate all forms of malaria in Lao PDR and includes strengthened interventions targeted to the southern part of the country to reduce the primary malaria burden while beginning efforts to eliminate malaria in the remaining focal areas in central and Northern Lao PDR.

Vision: A malaria-free Lao PDR by 2030.

Mission: The Lao PDR Government’s malaria mission is to collaborate with all related line ministries and departments as well as key implementing partners to empower the health staff at all levels and communities to wage a rigorous battle against malaria until its elimination from the country.

Strategic Goals:

1. Phase 1 (2016-2020): The overall goal of the phase 1 of the NSP is to flatten the malaria epidemic and reduce the impact of multi-drug resistance in the southern provinces and move progressively towards malaria elimination in the northern provinces while aligning with the GMS regional elimination efforts.
2. Phase 2 (2021-2025): The phase 2 goal of the NSP is to eliminate Plasmodium falciparum malaria in the entire country along with the entire GMS region and to eliminate all species of malaria in the northern provinces.
3. Phase 3 (2026-2030): The phase 3 goal of the NSP is to eliminate all forms of malaria by 2030 in the entire country.

Strategic Objectives:

Phase 1 (2016-2020):

• Reduce the incidence of Plasmodium falciparum to less than 5 per 1,000 in the southern provinces by 2020
• Interrupt the transmission of Plasmodium falciparum in the Northern provinces by 2018.
• Reduce the incidence of indigenous cases of Plasmodium vivax to <1 per 1,000 in the Northern provinces by 2020.
• Prevent reintroduction of malaria transmission in areas where it has been interrupted.(defined as no local cases for at least two years)

Phase 2 (2021-2025)

• Interrupt the transmission of Plasmodium falciparum in the entire country by 2025.
• Interrupt the transmission of Plasmodium vivax in the northern provinces by 2025.
• Prevent reintroduction of malaria transmission in areas where it has been interrupted.

Phase 3 (2026-2030)

• Interrupt the transmission of all forms of malaria in the entire country by 2030.
• Prevent reintroduction of malaria transmission in areas where it has been interrupted.
• Apply for certification of malaria free status by 2030.