Bank and partners collaborate on campaign against disease.
Cotonou, Benin, April 24, 2008 – “Since my two children have been sleeping under a mosquito net, they don’t get sick as often. We also try to avoid having stagnant water in our house and all try to keep it clean,” explains a mother near Porto-Novo in Benin who received an insecticide-treated mosquito net.
Combating malaria is one of the World Bank’s key priorities for developing human capital. To support the Government of Benin’s efforts, the Bank provided a grant of US$31 million to finance the Malaria Control Booster Project .
Since the March 16, 2007, launch of the project, 1.8 million mosquito nets have been distributed throughout Benin. A total of 1.4 million were purchased with the funds provided for the project.
Geographical coverage has attained 100.5 percent of the forecasted amount, and the coverage with respect to children surveyed stands at 97.9 percent. Coverage rates in terms of the delivery of vitamin A and albendazole are 98.2 percent and 88.3 percent, respectively.
Benin President, Dr. Yayi Boni, during the launch of the distribution campaign.
Protecting Women and Children
Malaria is a serious public health and development problem for Benin. Statistics indicate that the disease is ravaging all regions of the country and constitutes the primary reason for doctor’s visits and hospitalization (34 percent of the persons seeking treatment at health care facilities). The most vulnerable targets are children under five years of age and pregnant women.
In Agatogbo, a village in southern Benin, a shoe repairer and father tells us about this situation: “We have a lot of health problems in our village, and most of the time it is malaria that plagues us. Above all, the children are the worst stricken. However, because we are poor, we use herbs to take care of them. But often, in spite of the herbs, we have to take the children to the clinic where they must be given transfusions before getting better.”
Faced with this emergency, the Government of Benin, through the Ministry of Health, has taken decisive actions to combat malaria, by adopting a new national policy to combat malaria and a strategic implementation framework for the 2006-2010 period.
Communities were eager to receceive the mosquito nets.
Actions aimed at malaria prevention include promoting the use of long lasting insecticide-treated mosquito nets and intermittent preventive treatment (IPT) for pregnant women.
The general objective is to halve malaria-related morbidity and mortality by 2010 in relation to 2001 figures.
Malaria Control Booster Project
“In general terms, the project gave the Government the resources to launch a large-scale operation to mobilize and sensitize various segments of the population around the use of long lasting insecticide-treated mosquito nets, which have proven to be a very effective strategy for combating malaria,” said Ayité-Fily d’Almeida, who is responsible for monitoring the project’s implementation at the World Bank.
Uncomplicated malaria cases are treated using artemisinin-based combination therapies (ACTs) which will gradually replace chloroquine at health care facilities.
One year after its implementation, the project has already undertaken a number of priority activities. One of the most significant is the comprehensive national campaign organized by the Government in October 2007 for the free distribution of long-lasting insecticide-treated mosquito nets, vitamin A, and albendazole to children under five.
The close collaboration at all levels led to a successful campaign.
The project called for support from the Government, all development partners, local communities, NGOs, and the media. Their close collaboration led to a successful campaign. However, there were also some shortcomings including the shortage of permanent markers which led to attempted theft and fraud at some locations, interruptions in the supply of albendazole, as well as the refusal to provide mosquito nets if the child was not present at the time of distribution.
For Ministry of Health officials tasked with the organization and monitoring of the national campaign, making a determination about the exact quantities per village in advance ensured availability of long-lasting insecticide-treated mosquito nets and minimized losses.
A steady stream of information on the campaign using community radio helped to significantly reduce concerns about the mosquito nets . On the other hand, the distribution process was hindered when vermifuge and vitamin A were taken simultaneously.
D’Almeida added, “The national campaign organized in October 2007 ensured increased availability of mosquito nets for children under five in all Beninese villages. However, it is critical that the relevant offices of the Ministry of Health ensure their proper usage in households to achieve the objectives of a reduction in malaria-related mortality and morbidity.”
Contributed by Sylvie Nenonene,Communications Officer,World Bank
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