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URC/CHS News Archives | Contact us | Home URC Malaria Activities
Over three billion people, half the world’s population, in 109 countries are at risk for malaria. An estimated 247 million cases annually result in over 880,000 deaths, more than 90% of them children in Africa. However, new funding and technologies are making it possible to more effectively combat the disease and expand opportunities to move forward to free Africa and endemic countries from malaria. Using quality improvement and behavior change communication strategies, URC is expanding the reach of evidence-based preventive strategies and improving the effectiveness of malaria case management. Benin: Integrated Family Health Project (PISAF) With funding from the President’s Malaria Initiative (PMI), URC's Integrated Family Health Project, Projet Intégré de Santé Familiale (PISAF) in Benin is helping to build the capacity of the National Malaria Control Program (NMCP) to strengthen malaria prevention, control, and treatment services. The project is providing intermittent preventive treatment (IPTp) to prevent malaria in expectant mothers. The PISAF team is training public and private health care providers to develop case-management skills, including the ability to promptly diagnose and treat severe malaria. In addition, the team is assisting the NMCP to develop a monitoring and evaluation system to enable the collection and analysis of high-quality data and to strengthen the national supervision system for malaria case management. A PISAF initiative is also helping to improve the quality of malaria control services in the Zou and Collines departments to improve patient flow for malaria treatment and prevention. The collaborative seeks to ensure that all cases of simple malaria are treated according to the NMCP's protocol. Positive results have been noted for treatment in children under five when the Integrated Management of Childhood Illness protocol was observed. Health workers’ average performance score has been 95% since the third month of the initiative. PISAF also successfully piloted community health workers’ treatment of simple malaria with artemisinin-based combination therapy. Ghana: Promoting Malaria Prevention and Treatment (ProMPT)
PMI is also supporting URC in its leadership of Promoting Malaria Prevention and Treatment (ProMPT), which is strengthening malaria prevention and control in Ghana. This three-year project is creating a more effective bednet distribution mechanism, improving provider competence in malaria for both pregnancy interventions and case management, integrating behavior change and communications activities, and strengthening program monitoring and evaluation. In partnership with the Malaria Consortium and the Population Council, the project seeks to strengthen the National Malaria Control Program at all levels and engage key stakeholders, including communities and nongovernmental organizations, in malaria interventions. Cambodia: Malaria Prevention and Control Project
In Cambodia, with funding from the United States Agency for International Development, the Malaria Prevention and Control Project is providing support to improve quality standards and apply quality control methods for malaria microscopy and rapid diagnostic tests (RDTs). The project is also training health workers to recognize and manage simple malaria, severe malaria, and malaria in pregnant women, children, and mobile migrant populations. In addition, the project team is working to improve drug management to prevent anti-malarial resistance and, in partnership with private sector providers, to promote the correct use of anti-malarial drugs and discourage the use of counterfeit anti-malarials. Malaria Rapid Diagnostic Tests (RDTs) and Community Case Management of Malaria
Community health workers (CHWs) can use malaria rapid diagnostic tests (RDTs) safely and effectively up to 12 months after training according to results of a recently completed URC study. High CHW performance is attributable in part to a job aid and half-day training developed by URC in conjunction with the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Zambia National Malaria Control Center (NMCC). Based on earlier results, the WHO has made these materials available for download from its website. URC and WHO have also worked together to adapt the materials for use in other countries and with other RDTs. This work received support from the Foundation for Innovative New Diagnostics (FIND). Link to WHO or FIND to download the materials. In the current study, URC collaborated with the Malaria Consortium, the NMCC, WHO, and FIND. The study team trained 65 CHWs in Livingstone District, Zambia, then followed the trainees for 12 months to measure performance. Researchers expected performance to decline somewhat over time, but in most cases it actually improved. (View preliminary results here.) The Malaria Journal and the Transactions of the Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene have published results from earlier phases of this work. Ability to use RDTs safely and effectively is a key component of community-based malaria case management, a strategy supported by the President's Malaria Initiative, USAID, WHO, the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria, and many national malaria control programs. URC has worked closely with WHO to improve community-based RDT use by since 2005.
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