President's Malaria Initiative (PMI)

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President's Malaria InitiativeMalaria is a major public health concern in Nigeria and is present throughout the country. It accounts for 60 percent of outpatient visits and 30 percent of hospitalizations among children under five years of age. With a population of more than 150 million people, Nigeria accounts for one-quarter of malaria cases in Africa and there are more deaths caused by malaria in Nigeria than in any other country. Nigeria also has one of the world’s highest rates of all-cause mortality for children under five; approximately one in six children die before their fifth birthday. A nationwide survey in 2008 found that only about 6 percent of children sleep under an insecticide-treated mosquito net (ITN), and only eight percent of households own at least one ITN. Under the President’s Malaria Initiative, there are plans to organize and implement a massive nationwide campaign to distribute two ITNs to every household in Nigeria. More than 60 million long-lasting ITNs will be distributed through this campaign, which will run from 2009 to 2011.

President’s Malaria Initiative (PMI) Strategy

PMI’s goal is to work with partners to reduce by half the burden of malaria in 70 percent of the at-risk populations in sub-Saharan Africa (approximately 450 million residents), thereby eliminating malaria as a major public concern and promoting development throughout Africa.  PMI works with national malaria control programs and coordinates its activities with national and international partners, including the Roll Back Malaria Partnership, the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria; the World Health Organization; the World Bank; Malaria No More; the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation; nongovernmental organizations, including faith-based and community groups; and the private sector.

Nigeria is in its first year as a PMI focus country, with support from PMI and its partners, malaria control interventions are being implemented, and vital commodities are being distributed to vulnerable populations. USAID has funded malaria activities in Nigeria over the past decade, including $18 million in 2010. To date about 1.3 million ITNs have been purchased and distributed; ownership of ITNs was dramatically increased in Cross River and Kano States; and prepackaged, socially marketed Artemisinin-based combination therapies (ACT) treatments for children under five were developed and distributed in 18 states.Key Interventions:

In line with Nigeria’s national malaria control strategy, PMI supports four key interventions to prevent and treat malaria:

  1. Insecticide-treated mosquito nets (ITNs): Sleeping under a long-lasting ITN provides protection from malaria-carrying mosquitoes. The nets are nontoxic to humans, but repel and kill mosquitoes for up to three years.
  2. Indoor residual spraying (IRS): IRS the coordinated, spraying of the inside walls of houses with insecticides. Mosquitoes are killed when they land on these sprayed walls, reducing malaria transmission.
  3. Intermittent preventive treatment for pregnant women (IPTp): IPTp is a highly effective means of reducing the serious consequences of malaria in both pregnant women and unborn children, including maternal anemia and babies with low birthweight.  IPTp is the administration of at least two doses of the antimalarial drug sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine (SP) given not less than one month apart during the second and third trimesters of pregnancy. In most countries, unlike Nigeria, SP needs for IPTp are being met by national governments and other donors.
  4. Diagnosis and treatment: Effective case management of malaria depends on early, accurate diagnosis or rapid diagnostic tests and prompt treatment. ACTs are used in Nigeria, and is the recommended first-line treatment for uncomplicated Plasmodium falciparum malaria in most malaria-affected regions of Africa and are extremely effective against malaria parasites and have few or no side effects.

PROGRAM SNAPSHOT

  • Project Name:President’s Malaria Initiative (PMI)
  • Partners: TSHIP, DELIVER, IMAD, Roll Back Malaria Partnership, World Health Organization, World Bank, Malaria No More, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation
  • Annual Budget: $48.5 million (2011)
  • Geographic Areas: Nationwide