The World Bank’s Booster Program for Malaria Control Malaria is said to cost Africa approximately $12 billion a year in lost wages due to the debilitating effects of the disease. The cost of treatment is also disproportionate to income for many. In Kenya, almost a quarter of the children do not live past the age of five because of malaria infections. In Ethiopia, a child dies every 7 minutes from malaria. In Zambia and Eritrea, malaria is to blame for a significant amount of adult mortalities. The figure for Zambia is estimated to be at about 50,000 per year. A Renewed Commitment In 2005, the World Bank implemented its Booster Program for Malaria Control in Africa. It will operate from 2005-2008. The Booster Program is the Bank’s renewed commitment to strengthening and building upon efforts and programs created in the initial Roll Back Malaria (RBM) partnership. RBM’s goal, set forth by the World Health Organization, UNICEF, UNDP and the World Bank, is to halve the burden of malaria in the world by 2010. The Booster Program for Malaria Control in Africa has a portfolio in which 19 countries in Africa are being supported. They are Angola, Benin, Burkina Faso, DR Congo, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Mali, Mozambique, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, and Zambia, with Liberia being added by President Wolfowitz as a priority nation. In addition to these countries, a regional program is being implemented through the Senegal River Basin Initiative, a project which is already in operation but received $40 million from the Booster Program to control malaria in that area. Prevention and Control  Studies have found that the best way to control malaria is with insecticide-treated nets (ITN) that provide protection during the night, known to be peak mosquito hours. The cost is about $2- $5 per net, but they can repel mosquitoes for six months to five years, depending on the quality. In Eritrea, where the Booster Program has already been implemented, net usage has increased by 30 percent, thus reducing malaria morbidity by 63 percent between 1999 and 2003. Such drastic figures speak volumes for ITNs; however, the affordability of these nets is a factor for many families desperately in need of them.
In November 2005, Zambia Malaria Booster Project was approved with a $20 million credit. The project will place heavy emphasis on the roles of the community and civil society, so that malaria control will be population demand-driven. Experience shows this method to be most effective in locally combating and controlling diseases. Strength in Partnership  The Booster Program will emphasize donor harmonization in malaria control. Organizations such as The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation have contributed $35 million in Zambia. Exxon Mobil has pledged to support malaria control programs in Nigeria. Other harmonization efforts are being made with the US Presidential Initiative for Malaria Control (PMI), the Global Fund, WHO/AFRO, UNICEF, and Global Consultations in Cameroon.
In this fiscal year alone, the Booster Program expects to fund $190 million in malaria control projects. An additional $215.5 million will be spent in FYs 2007 and 2008. The World Bank is also working with local governments to ensure that any project funded can be fully sustained and scaled up in the long term. |
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