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PAHO and France strengthen partnership to advance malaria elimination in the Guiana Shield
Director of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), Dr. Jarbas Barbosa, has signed an agreement with Celine Giusi, Permanent Observer of France to the Organization of American States (OAS) to support malaria elimination efforts in the Guiana Shield, which is one of the most challenging settings for malaria control in the Americas.
The agreement will support a 12-month project focused on strengthening surveillance, prevention, and coordinated response efforts across border areas. The initiative promotes a transnational approach, recognizing shared epidemiological dynamics across borders, including those affecting indigenous communities, and the high mobility of populations, particularly those linked to gold mining activities.
PAHO Director, Dr. Jarbas Barbosa Celine Giusi, Permanent Observer of France to the OAS
Welcoming the agreement, the PAHO Director thanked France for this contribution, “which will strengthen surveillance and support coordinated action” in border areas. “This partnership brings us closer to our shared goal of eliminating malaria in the subregion and across the Americas,” he added.
The Guiana Shield presents unique and persistent challenges for malaria elimination in the region, including remote and hard-to-reach territories, limited access to health services, and the presence of highly mobile and often underserved populations. Informal and illegal gold mining remains a key driver of transmission, contributing to increased risk of infection, barriers to diagnosis and treatment. The risk of antimalarial drug resistance is also a challenge in the area due to practices such as self-medication, incomplete treatment, and circulation of substandard medicines.
“Malaria elimination in the Guiana Shield requires sustained, coordinated action among countries,” said Dr. Sylvain Aldighieri, PAHO’s Director of Communicable Disease Prevention, Control, and Elimination. “This new agreement will help strengthen joint efforts to expand access to diagnosis and treatment, reinforce surveillance with rapid response, and accelerate progress against both P. falciparum and P. vivax malaria.”
Expanding timely diagnosis and effective treatment remains the most critical intervention to address malaria in the region, particularly for mobile and hard-to-reach populations. This includes scaling up rapid diagnostic testing, leveraging all available providers, and intensifying community engagement—especially in mining areas and indigenous communities —to ensure early detection and complete treatment.
This collaboration between the Government of France and PAHO supports coordinated and synchronized action toward malaria elimination in the Guiana Shield. It aligns with the Malaria Elimination Plan for the Americas 2026–2030 and reinforces partnerships with national authorities and other strategic actors working to accelerate progress toward a malaria-free Region of the Americas. PAHO’s Disease Elimination Initiative supports efforts to end malaria, and more than 30 communicable diseases and related conditions, in the Americas by 2030. (PAHO)
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