Effectiveness of an expanded role for community health workers on malaria blood examination rates in malaria elimination settings in Myanmar: an open stepped-wedge, cluster-randomised controlled trial.

Background: As Greater Mekong Subregion countries approach malaria elimination, the motivation and social role of community health workers (CHWs), and malaria blood examination rates, have declined in parallel with decreasing malaria burden. To address this issue, a health system model which expanded the role for CHWs was co-designed with communities and health stakeholders in the Mekong Subregion and field-tested in Myanmar.

Methods: An open stepped-wedge cluster-randomised (at the village-level) controlled trial (ClinicalTrials.

Evaluation of the effectiveness and cost effectiveness of a Community-delivered Integrated Malaria Elimination (CIME) model in Myanmar: protocol for an open stepped-wedge cluster-randomised controlled trial.

Introduction: In the Greater Mekong Subregion, community health workers, known as malaria volunteers, have played a key role in reducing malaria in the control phase, providing essential malaria services in areas with limited formal healthcare. However, the motivation and social role of malaria volunteers, and testing rates, have declined with decreasing malaria burden and reorientation of malaria programmes from control to elimination. Provision of additional interventions for common health concerns could help sustain the effectiveness of volunteers and maintain malaria testing rates required for malaria elimination accreditation by the WHO.