What is the extent of the deaths caused by malaria? Although malaria is a preventable and curable disease, the latest data show that approximately 225 million people suffered from malaria and 781,000 died of the disease in 2009. Nearly 90 percent of these deaths occurred in Sub-Saharan Africa. Children under the age of five are the most vulnerable. Approximately 1 in every 6 child deaths (16 percent) in Africa is due to malaria. Controlling malaria is very important for achieving progress towards many of the Millennium Development Goals (MDG) in Africa. What is the economic impact of malaria in Africa? In addition to its health toll, malaria places a heavy economic burden on many effected countries, contributing to the cycle of poverty and limiting economic development. The disease is estimated to cost Africa about $12 billion per year in lost gross domestic product (GDP), slowing GDP growth by as much as 1.3 percent a year. Malaria keeps households in poverty, discourages internal and foreign investment and tourism, affects land use patterns and crop selection, and reduces labor productivity through lost work days and diminished job performance. Deaths and disability from malaria have enormous social costs. Malaria also affects learning and scholastic achievement through frequent absenteeism and, in some cases, leads to cognitive impairment in children. What is the World Bank’s Booster Program for Malaria Control? The World Bank’s Malaria Booster Program is a strong response to the epidemic in Africa. It demonstrates the International Development Association (IDA), the World Bank’s fund for the poorest, at its best: catalytic, flexible and collaborative. Through close work with Roll Back Malaria partners, particularly the Global Fund, United States President Malaria Initiative and United Kingdom Department for International Development (DFID), the Booster Program provides coordinated funding with a focus on specific goals and results. The Booster Program helps malaria-endemic countries scale up effective malaria-control interventions, including long lasting insecticide-treated bednets (LLINs) and indoor residual spraying of insecticides to prevent malaria transmission; and malaria diagnosis, with microscopes and rapid tests, and effective treatment of malaria cases with Artemisinin-based combination therapy (ACTs). In addition, the Booster Program helps strengthen health systems, including the drug supply chain, information systems for monitoring and evaluation and human resource management to ensure sustained control of malaria and to increase country capacity to address other health priorities. What has the World Bank’s Booster Program for Malaria Control in Africa achieved to date? The Booster Program was launched in 2005 as a 10-year effort to help countries achieve the Millennium Development Goals for child survival, maternal health, and malaria. The Booster Program substantially increased financial and technical support, ultimately accelerating design and implementation of malaria control programs, increasing coverage, and rapidly improving results. To date, the World Bank has committed $762.8 million in 22 projects across 20 countries in Sub-Saharan Africa. This reflects a fifteen-fold increase compared with what was spent on malaria control efforts between 2000 and 2005. The program has contributed to significant progress in Benin, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, Nigeria, and Zambia. Phase II (July 1, 2008 – June 30, 2011) was launched in December 2008, designed in collaboration with the Roll Back Malaria Partnership and recipient countries. It builds on the successes and lessons learned in Phase I - reflecting country-defined needs and the agreement of the Bank’s partners on how the Bank can apply its resources in supporting malaria control and elimination. It places heavy emphasis on Nigeria and the Democratic Republic of Congo, where about 40 percent of the malaria infections in Africa occur. In April 2010, World Bank President Robert B. Zoellick announced additional financing in the following countries: Democratic Republic of Congo ($100 million), Ethiopia ($12.3 million), Kenya ($20 million), Mozambique ($15 million), Nigeria ($16 million), Sierra Leone ($6.7 million) and Zambia ($30 million). To date, funds have been committed in six of the seven countries (with Nigeria in the pipeline for fiscal year 2012) and procurement of insecticide treated bednets has begun. The Booster Program is leveraging resources from partners such as Exxon Mobil and the Russian Federation to strengthen monitoring and evaluation in Booster countries such as Mozambique and Zambia, and to co-finance IDA resources. Contact: Kavita Watsa, (202) 458-8810, kwatsa@worldbank.org Updated September 2011 |
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