The World Health Organization\u2019s (WHO) World Malaria Report 2016 reveals that children and pregnant women in sub-Saharan Africa have greater access to effective malaria control.<\/p>\n
The report indicates that across the region, a steep increase in diagnostic testing for children and preventive treatment for pregnant women had been recorded over the last five years.<\/p>\n
It said among all populations at risk of malaria, the use of insecticide-treated nets had expanded rapidly.<\/p>\n
But in many countries in the region, substantial gaps in programme coverage remain. Funding shortfalls and fragile health systems are undermining overall progress, jeopardizing the attainment of global targets.<\/p>\n
According to the report, sub-saharan Africa carries a disproportionately high share of the global malaria burden.<\/p>\n
It said in 2015, the region was home to 90 per cent of malaria cases and 92 per cent of malaria deaths.<\/p>\n
It noted that children under five were particularly vulnerable, accounting for an estimated 70 per cent of all malaria deaths.<\/p>\n
It said diagnostic testing enables health providers to rapidly detect malaria and prescribe life-saving treatment.<\/p>\n
It noted that new findings presented in the report show that, in 2015, approximately half (51 per cent) of children with a fever seeking care at a public health facility in 22 African countries received a diagnostic test for malaria compared to 29 per cent in 2010.<\/p>\n
The report said to protect women in areas of moderate and high malaria transmission in Africa, WHO recommends \u201cintermittent preventive treatment in pregnancy\u201d (ITPp) with sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine.<\/p>\n
It said the treatment, administered at each scheduled antenatal care visit after the first trimester, could prevent maternal and infant mortality, anaemia and the other adverse effects of malaria in pregnancy.<\/p>\n
It said according to available data, there was a five-fold increase in the percentage of women receiving the recommended three or more doses of this preventive treatment in 20 African countries; declaring that coverage reached 31 per cent in 2015, up from six per cent in 2010.<\/p>\n
It said insecticide-treated nets were the cornerstone of malaria prevention efforts in Africa.<\/p>\n
The report found that more than half (53 per cent) of the population at risk in sub-Saharan Africa slept under a treated net in 2015 compared to 30 percent in 2010.<\/p>\n
Last month, WHO released the findings of a major five-year evaluation in five countries.\u00a0 The study showed that people who slept under long-lasting insecticidal nets (LLINs) had significantly lower rates of malaria infection than those who did not use a net, even though mosquitoes showed resistance to pyrethroids (the only insecticide class used in LLINs) in all of these areas.<\/p>\n
It said malaria remains an acute public health problem, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa.<\/p>\n
According to the report, there were 212 million new cases of malaria and 429 000 deaths worldwide in 2015.<\/p>\n
It said there were still substantial gaps in the coverage of core malaria control tools.<\/p>\n
It said in 2015, an estimated 43 per cent of the population in sub-Saharan Africa was not protected by treated nets or indoor spraying with insecticides, the primary methods of malaria vector control.<\/p>\n
In many countries, health systems are under-resourced and poorly accessible to those most at risk of malaria.<\/p>\n
In 2015, a large proportion (36 per cent) of children with a fever were not taken to a health facility for care in 23 African countries.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are definitely seeing progress,\u201d notes Dr Pedro Alonso, Director of the WHO Global Malaria Programme.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut the world is still struggling to achieve the high levels of programme coverage that are needed to beat this disease,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
At the 2015 World Health Assembly, Member States adopted the Global Technical Strategy for Malaria 2016-2030.<\/p>\n
The Strategy set ambitious targets for 2030 with milestones every five years to track progress.<\/p>\n
It said if global targets are to be met, funding from both domestic and international sources must increase substantially.<\/p>\n
–<\/p>\n
Source: GNA<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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