
Malaria Programming
Though eliminated in some parts of the world decades ago, malaria remains a significant public health problem threatening half the world’s population, with 627,000 deaths in 2020 (WHO). The availability of simple, cost-effective interventions to prevent and treat the disease, including long-lasting insecticidal nets (LLINs), has led to a 60 percent decrease in malaria mortality rates since 2000, but progress in recent years has stalled, with the number of cases worldwide remained virtually unchanged at 229 million over each of the past four years.
Malaria disproportionately affects the poor and most marginalized communities as they are high risk and have the least access to effective services. Due to more vulnerable immune systems, children under 5 years old, pregnant women, and people living with HIV and AIDS are more susceptible to malaria. In 2020, children under 5 years accounted for 77% of all malaria deaths worldwide. A child dies of malaria every 2 minutes.
World Vision is following through on its commitment to fight malaria until it is defeated. Prevention and treatment for malaria is woven into our core global health strategy. In areas where malaria is an issue we work to assure that families – especially mothers and children under age 5 – are sleeping under an insecticide treated bednet. We also work to strengthen health systems to make sure families have access to proper diagnosis, treatment and care, including Integrated Community Case Management (iCCM) where diagnosis and treatment is carried out by community health workers. Other interventions include promotion of intermittent presumptive treatment for pregnant women, indoor residential spraying of insecticides (IRS), and environmental hygiene interventions where we address the sanitation issues that create breeding grounds for malaria-carrying mosquitoes.
THE MALARIA VACCINE
In October 2021, the World Health Organization recommended that the RTS,S malaria vaccine be used for the prevention of malaria in children living in regions with moderate to high transmission, based on results of the ongoing 2019 research pilot project, which has reached 900,000 children in Ghana, Kenya and Malawi. While the pilot projects are ongoing to 2023, World Vision fully supports promotion of the RTS,S vaccine because it has proven to be safe, effective, feasible and practical.
WORLD VISION'S MALARIA INVESTMENTS THROUGH THE GLOBAL FUND
In 2020, World Vision:
- Distributed more than 13.8 million long-lasting insecticide-treated bed nets (ITBNs) in three countries.
- Trained 46,490 people in malaria service delivery, including Community Health Workers, teachers and volunteers.
- Reached 5.6 million people with Information, Education and Communication materials on malaria
- Provided first-line malaria treatment for individuals at public health facilities (4.8 million) and in the community (829,000)
- Parasitological testing of individuals for malaria at public health facilities (2.4 million) and in the community (1.1 million)
- 9,876 community groups formed and/or supported on malaria prevention and care
- Reached 836,370 households with Indoor Residual Spraying in Malawi and Central Africa Republic
In Central African Republic and Mozambique, World Vision's ITBN distribution in 2020 saved an estimated 25,797 children’s lives.
In the past five years, World Vision's Global Fund programmes have achieved the following:
- 54,533,053 million ITBNs distributed
- 1,421,350 households received Indoor Residue Spraying for malaria vector control
- 6,519,803 suspected malaria cases received a parasitological test at the community level
- 6,521,416 confirmed malaria cases received first-line antimalarial treatment in the community
Read more:
What is malaria? Facts, Symptoms and what World Vision is doing
Digital Health Factsheet: Fighting malaria with digital health tools in Angola
Integrated Community Case Management - a World Vision project approach
Stories from the Field
Meet the women daring to end malaria in Malawi, March 8, 2022
Halima and Anifa thrive in school as malaria cases fall in Malawi, February 3, 2022
Children, Global Fund, laud WV’s Indoor Residual Spraying campaign in Malawi Jan 19, 2022
Global Fund country team lauds progress in malaria fight in Malawi, December 21, 2021
World Vision launches 2021 campaign to fight malaria in Malawi, October 22, 2021
Fighting malaria in the midst of COVID-19 in Malawi, October 8, 2021
World Vision welcomes historic malaria vaccine as significant breakthrough for the most vulnerable children in Southern Africa, October 7, 2021
Mosquito insecticide spray proves lifesaving for Loyce’s children in Malawi, June 30, 2021
Blessing's Story: Empowering communities in Kenya to eliminate malaria, April 2021
Millions safe from malaria thanks to indoor residual spray project in Malawi, March 2021
How 2-year-old Maria was saved from the hand of death in Zambia, March 2021
Reducing malaria incidence in Central African Republic, Feb 2020
Why bednets matter in the global fight against malaria, May 2019
The Global Fund: A chance to end three of the world’s deadliest diseases, Feb 2019
Mosquito nets for all to prevent malaria in Central African Republic, Feb 2019
ADECOS, the hope for those without access to basic health services in Angola, Jan 2019 (ADECOS are Community Development Agents in Angola)