The MalaFA (Malaria Futures for Africa) study for Central Africa, commissioned by the Swiss pharmaceutical group Novartis, was presented Tuesday in Abuja, Nigeria.
This study includes interviews with 23 politicians, senior officials, malaria program managers, researchers and NGOs in Cameroon, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Republic of Congo and Rwanda. In these four countries, the scourge of malaria is important and policies are in place to fight this disease.
It shows that Central Africa is optimistic about halving the number of deaths from malaria by 2030. ” In Rwanda, respondents are generally positive about the national response to the disease, citing high levels of political support and funding. In Cameroon, the DRC and the Republic of Congo, interviewees believe that halving the number of deaths by 2030 is more realistic than eradicating them, “said the presentation in Abuja. .
worries
However, respondents from Cameroon, Congo and the Congo Republic are concerned about the limited access to health services, staff training failure, circulation ‘ falsified antimalarial or substandard and self-treatment without diagnosis (which may quickly develop resistance to treatment). These concerns are shared in many other countries that have already been investigated.
“ Unlike the countries of West, East and South Africa that participated in the survey in early 2018, Central African countries consider climate change a greater threat. A Rwandan respondent expressed concern that malaria is spreading in mountain areas that were previously unaffected by the disease, and others discussed the impact that changing rainfall patterns could have on the breeding season of the country. mosquitoes, “says the report.
According to Parfait Touré, head of access programs in West and Central Africa for Novartis Social Business, Africa still has more than 200 million cases of malaria each year and more than 400,000 deaths, mostly young children.
