MALARIA PREVENTION AND TREATMENT
IN IVORY COAST, WEST AFRICA

Malaria is one of the most important  public health priorities in the in the Ivory Coast (Cote D'Ivoire) due to its pervasiveness and associated morbidity and mortality.  While all ages and both sexes are affected, children under 5 and pregnant women are most vulnerable.  Malaria is the number one cause of mortality among children in Ivory Coast. Out of 128,000 estimated deaths in children under 5 each year, 63,000 are directly related to malaria.         

PROJECT DESCRIPTION
Long Lasting Insecticide Treated Bed Nets (LLITN) Distribution and Monitoring
ICMRT has acquired 5,000 LLITN for shipment to the Ivory Coast in November 2007. The nets will be distributed to women during antenatal visits and immunization campaigns in a 3-year program to reduce the prevalence of malaria in women and children under the age 5, and develop a sustainable community-based intervention against malaria. This program would provide a model for scale-up in other regions throughout West Africa.

PRINCIPAL CHALLENGES IN THE PREVENTION OF MALARIA IN THE IVORY COAST

1. A North-South partition of the country following a failed 2002 coup resulted in the destruction of 85% of northern health facilities

2. Insufficient resources due in part to the fact that the Ivory Coast hasn't benefited from substantial external funding for malaria

3. Serious shortfalls in preventive interventions, especially in coverage of LLITN's

4. Severely limited access to treatments in virtually all zones, especially the World Health Organization (WHO) recommended Artemisimin based Combined Therapy (ACTs)

5. Limited involvement of the local community in malaria control activities

OUR GOALS AND OBJECTIVES

• Obtain baseline data on LLITN usage within target populations in a rural regions

• Identify obstacles to widespread use of LLITN's in these groups

• Educate communities on the effectiveness of LLITN's in malaria prevention using trained community health workers. Community education will cover malaria vectors, the mechanism of transmission, LLITN's and their insecticidal activity, and treatment referral

• Increase access and acquisition of LLITN's by pregnant women and children under age 5 through free distribution during antenatal and post-natal immunization visits

• Acquire rapid malaria diagnostic kits for distribution to medical clinics

• Generate program data, through monitoring and operational research, for expanded efforts to other malaria endemic regions

ICMRT
P.O. Box 55996
Shoreline, WA 98155
U.S.A.

email: info@icmrt.org