LIMPOPO PROVINCE, SOUTH AFRICA, March 20, 2007 – World Bank President Paul Wolfowitz joined UNICEF malaria ambassador and entertainer Yvonne Chaka Chaka, known throughout the region as the “Princess of Africa,” on a trip to Limpopo province to visit a unique malaria control program that demonstrates that malaria can be controlled in sub-Saharan Africa using existing tools. The project, which was developed together with the private sector, shows that malaria control is possible in the sub-Saharan African context, and highlights the value of public-private partnerships to achieve results. But the program also reveals that, while existing tools can be used, human capacity and monitoring and evaluation are essential to achieving results. A ‘malaria institute” that brings results to the field Wolfowitz and Chaka Chaka visited the Siegfried Annecke Institute, informally known as the “malaria institute” in Tzaneen, and then traveled to the Mamitwa community settlement to observe trained teams spraying under the eaves of the mud and brick houses to control malarial mosquitoes. They also met with community members to hear first-hand how the anti-malaria program has improved their lives. Limpopo province health minister Seaparo Sekoati, who accompanied the delegation, explained the program’s vision: “We believe we are strategically positioned to help make progress in the entire southern Africa community, and we would like you to help us become a center of excellence on malaria.” An example of how to cut malaria rates Malaria is endemic in the low-altitude areas of Mpumulanga (especially Kruger Park), Limpopo, and north-eastern KwaZulu-Natal (especially the Maputaland Coast). About 10 percent of South Africans live in these malaria-risk areas. This is relatively low by sub-Saharan African standards since in most countries the entire population is at risk. Where malaria is prevalent, however, rates have declined substantially over the past five years, from about 80 percent in some areas, to around 10 percent in 2005/06, mainly because of the success of indoor residual spraying (IRS) and prompt treatment. Still, the complexity of the effort was not lost on the visitors to the site. Mr. Wolfowitz noted that “ something as seemingly simple as Indoor Residual Spraying (IRS)…must be done in a way that doesn’t allow the mosquitoes to eventually breed pesticide resistant strains, and actually requires several weeks of training for the sprayers. It’s not something that you just push a button and it happens, and even more complex is the research that has to go along with it.” The Bank President commended the minister’s efforts, noting that the program is a wonderful example of where South Africa is taking a leadership role in the region. “It’s a great asset for all of Africa that this country has the capacity and the resources, and the human potential, and I would like to see this particular malaria institute grow. We need to learn better what works, so that we can apply what works in other places.” The Government of Mozambique, with World Bank support, is now preparing a project that would expand the LSDI approach to parts of Mozambique not currently covered. Launching a royal effort Later in the day, Wolfowitz joined Chaka Chaka at the Johannesburg launch of her new “Princess of Africa Foundation,” which intends to fight malaria by leveraging Chaka Chaka’s status as both a celebrity and the UNICEF Ambassador for malaria in Africa. She urged donors, recipient countries, development agencies, and other members of the Roll Back Malaria Initiative to ensure that funds earmarked for malaria are used transparently and deliver measurable results. “We will serve as a catalyst in the emergence of an empowered African community which is highly knowledgeable about malaria, its causes, and how to control it effectively,” she said. “The Foundation aims to mobilize society across Africa to empower the local communities and gain their input.” Ambassador Chaka Chaka said that urgent action is needed to combat not only the sheer scale of death and illness caused by malaria every year but also the economic loss. F or example, when adults debilitated by the disease cannot work, they lose income. She also called attention to a key recommendation by a UK parliamentary report on malaria, released simultaneously in London, that urged donors and African countries to mobilize innovative long-term, predictable funds. This type of funding would enable health ministers in the region to plan effective and sustainable malaria control programs to prevent and treat malaria among the very poorest populations of Africa, which, she said, were still not being reached by lifesaving drugs and prevention measures. Transparent use of funds President Wolfowitz praised Chaka Chaka’s passion on the issue and welcomed the new foundation’s strong emphasis on better accountability and transparency in using funds dedicated to fighting malaria. He said that it is imperative that poor countries, donors, civil society organizations, and other key groups be able to track the flow of malaria funds, and that they be able to demonstrate fewer deaths and less sickness as a result of their malaria control programs. “We are at a critical juncture,” he said. “Countries are beginning to show results, distributing treated bed-nets, expanding indoor house spraying, and decreasing malaria transmission and related deaths. It is possible to fight this disease successfully, but we must monitor results transparently, and the efforts must be sustained.” Scoring results Wolfowitz also emphasized accountability and transparency as important pillars in the World Bank’s Booster Program for Malaria Control in Africa, which was launched in late 2005 to help African countries reduce the deaths, illness, and economic losses caused by malaria on the continent each year. He referred to a specific tool developed by the Bank known as the Malaria Scorecard, which is being discussed with development partners as a way to monitor, country-by-country, financial inputs and health outcomes. So far, the Booster Program, which helps countries cover the costs for preventive measures such as spraying inside homes and insecticide-treated bed-nets, as well as medications to prevent and treat malaria, has provided US$357 million to carry out 11 malaria projects in 14 African countries in just 18 months. This is up from about US$50 million committed to malaria control in Africa by the World Bank in the five years preceding the Booster Program. Wolfowitz later flew to Cape Town where he attended the Parliamentary Network on the World Bank conference hosted by the South African parliament. |
RSS