Prevent the fight against malaria from falling victim to Covid.

This is the goal of the experts of the RBM partnership involved in efforts to combat this infectious disease spread by mosquito bites, which kills more than 400,000 per year.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has stressed that the disruption of antimalarial treatments caused by the Covid crisis could lead to tens of thousands more deaths.

On the occasion of World Malaria Day, France 24 spoke with Olivia Ngou, director of the NGO Impact Santé Afrique and co-founder of CS4ME (Civil Society for Malaria Elimination) to take stock of the latest developments.

Malaria infographic 2021. © F24

France 24: The year 2020 was marked by the Covid-19 pandemic.

Has this had an impact on the fight against malaria? 

Olivia Ngou:

The Covid-19 pandemic has had a very strong negative impact, particularly in terms of prevention.

In particular, a large number of public distribution campaigns for impregnated mosquito nets were canceled, given the health context.

These campaigns are essential, but as people line up to receive their nets, they were no longer possible to organize.

These difficulties left millions of people unprotected during the rainy season of March 2020. Some countries such as Cameroon, Niger and Benin have nevertheless succeeded in setting up door-to-door distributions.

Have malaria health centers been affected? 

Health systems as a whole have been harmed, with resources redirected to treatment for Covid-19.

One of the effects of the pandemic has been out of stocks of rapid diagnostic tests for malaria, as test producers have focused on Covid testing.

There have also been tensions over the supply of antimalarial treatment.

There has also been a marked decrease in visits to health centers, as mosquitoes continue to bite.

Deaths attributed to Covid-19 may have been caused by malaria, as these two diseases have a lot of symptoms in common.

In Cameroon, official figures show 11,000 deaths linked to malaria, instead of the 2,000 to 4,000 deaths recorded in previous years.

These are official figures, it is feared that the real number of deaths is much higher. 

Are you also worried about a decrease in the funds allocated to the fight against malaria?

It should be noted that the fight against malaria is already suffering from funding that has stagnated since 2015. That of the Global Fund against malaria, the first donor, should not be affected because it is already budgeted until 2023. But it is feared that African countries in which malaria is endemic will reduce their funding because they have had to mobilize their funds for Covid-19. African researchers working on this disease have already received calls to orient themselves towards Covid-19. The situation is very alarming at this level too. It is imperative to ensure that the States' financial commitment is maintained.

The United States spent $ 11 billion in 2020 to fund an anti-Covid vaccine.

This is almost four times more than the total annual budget for the fight against malaria.

Would such means make it possible to overcome it?

We would probably have a vaccine more quickly, even if we know that vaccines against coronaviruses are easier to develop than those against malaria or HIV.

About two years ago, WHO launched an initiative to test malaria vaccines for children.

Currently, the normal process for setting up a new vaccine takes about seven years.

Beyond the funding, these are the procedures that should be changed to save time.  

What are the most promising innovations in the fight against malaria? 

First, there is the vaccine, which is already being tested.

We also have new impregnated mosquito nets, called 4th generation, which should be effective against mosquitoes which had become resistant to conventional insecticides.

Finally, there are promising new treatments, such as one that would treat uncomplicated malaria with just one tablet - which would greatly facilitate the distribution of treatment.

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