Rockville, MD, July 22, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The U.S. President’s Malaria Initiative (PMI) has awarded Abt Associates a one-year extension and substantial award increase for the PMI VectorLink Project, which has protected an estimated 31 million people a year from malaria in the nearly four years since the project launched.
Abt was awarded the current $471 million contract in 2017, and the one-year extension is an increase of $267 million. The project is implemented in partnership with Population Services International and PATH along with the support of Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, Malaria Consortium, Innovative Vector Control Consortium, McKinsey & Company, Inc., EnCompass LLC, BAO Systems LLC, Digital Globe, and Dimagi, Inc.
The extension reflects the project’s success over the past four years in planning, implementing, and monitoring life-saving vector control programs for indoor residual spraying (IRS) of insecticides and distribution of insecticide-treated bed nets (ITNs) in 26 countries.
In 2020, the project successfully carried out 16 timely, high-quality IRS campaigns, spraying 6 million structures, and distributed nearly 6 million ITNs, despite the challenges presented by COVID-19. Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, the project has navigated border closures, national lockdowns, and serious delays and drastic cost increases in the production, supply, and delivery of malaria commodities needed to avoid overloading hospitals with unnecessary malaria cases as the facilities faced a slew of COVID-19 patients.
For meeting this “monumental logistical challenge,” Abt recently designated the PMI VectorLink Project the winner of this year’s Clark Abt Prize for Social Impact. Named for founder Clark C. Abt, it is the company’s highest honor.
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About Abt Associates
Abt Associates is a global consulting and research firm that uses data and bold thinking to improve the quality of people’s lives. From combatting infectious disease and conducting rigorous program evaluations, to ensuring safe drinking water and promoting access to affordable housing—and more—we partner with clients and communities to tackle their most complex challenges.