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This is document outlines BCH-Africa's strategic vision to help countries in sub-Saharan Africa to meet three of the millennium goals by 2015. These goals are: to help to reduce child mortality; improve maternal health; and combat HIV and AIDS, malaria and other diseases. The strategy sets out four main areas of focus: promoting social ownership of immunisation, to contribute to a rapid reduction in infant and maternal mortality; promoting national partnership and developing community skills to roll back malaria in Africa sustainably; developing individual and community skills to stop the spread of HIV and AIDS and tuberculosis; and using communication approaches that achieve long-lasting social changes to help control HIV, malaria and tuberculosis and resolve other health problems. Accompanying strategic priorities are: integrating health communication interventions; and building human resource capacity in community health promotion with a firm commitment to involving all the main actors and partners to create greater social ownership and sustainability

This article explains why, in the face of increased funding for malaria programmes, the disease incidence shows little signs of abating. In sub-Saharan Africa nearly a million people die as a result of malaria. The article draws attention to the cultural, social and economic contexts in which communities deal with the consequences of malaria. Health systems, services and infrastructures are generally inadequate and fail to deliver proper care. Malaria can also be perceived as a mild illness and used to hide more stigmatising health problems. The paper advocates focusing on the 'normality' of malaria, and exploring the social and economic contexts that shape household and community responses to malaria

Every year malaria causes up to three million deaths, and if attempts to control the pandemic fail, drug-resistant malaria will spread even further. This report provides key statistics about the disease and makes a case for an effective and internationally coordinated response to the crisis, which should include drugs development, use of insecticide, increased funding, investment in the delivery systems and human resources and the involvement of the private sector

This policy brief is concerned with improving laboratory services and promoting accurate diagnosis of malaria at community level. Such measures would both save lives and prevent wastage of valuable resources. Increasing levels of resistance to cheap, first-line antimalarials means that many poor countries must promote new, more expensive treatment in the form of Artemisinin-based Combination Therapies (ACTs). The need for improved diagnostic tools that can be used at community level has never been greater. Since 1999, the Malaria Knowledge Programme (MKP) has been working in Malawi and Ghana to increase the effectiveness of laboratory systems and diagnostics for malaria and other common health problems

This brief paper describes the research methodology employed by the Malaria Knowledge Programme, and key lessons learned. The programme aimed to enhance the impact of its work through strengthening information and communication flows, involving Southern researchers and institutions and creating international networks for the improvement of research communication throughout its work. Using examples, this paper illustrates how the programme engaged with dynamics of research, policy making and practice, in accordance with DFID recommendations

Malaria control in Africa relies primarily on early effective treatment for clinical disease, but most early treatments for fever occur through self-medication with shop-bought drugs. Lack of information to community members on over-the-counter drug use has led to widespread ineffective treatment of fevers, increased risks of drug toxicity and accelerating drug resistance. This study examined the feasibility and measured the likely impact of training shop keepers in rural Africa on community drug use. It concludes that this approach is both feasible and likely to have a significant impact