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Background
Malaria in Sudan is a major public health
problem. The country is hit by an estimated
50% of all malaria cases in the World
Health Organization’s Eastern
Mediterranean Region survey with an
estimated 7.5 million cases resulting
in 35,000 deaths per year. The disease
accounts for one-fifth of all hospital
deaths. The malaria case fatality rate
for pediatric hospitals ranges between
5% and 15%. According to the Malaria
Indicator Survey (MIS), in October 2005
the prevalence of malaria among children
under the age of 5 years, ranged between
0.4-15.5% and between 3.7%-10.3% for
pregnant women.
In April 2005, with the support of the
Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis
and Malaria (GFATM),
UNDP launched the Malaria Prevention
and Control project.
Objectives
The overall goal of the project is to
reduce the malaria burden to the extent
that it is no longer a public health
problem. The target groups/beneficiaries
are children under five, women of child-bearing
age and the general population at risk
of malaria.
The specific objectives are as follows:
• Disease management including
home management, improving clinical
and laboratory diagnosis, and ensuring
availability and rational use of anti-malarial
drugs.
• Establishing a malaria early
warning system (MEWS) and ensuring
rapid response to the epidemic in
order to have effective disease surveillance
and epidemic management.
• Prevention of malaria during
pregnancy IPT (Intermittent Preventive
Therapy) and relevant vector control
measures.
• Capacity building and improving
institutional work to strengthen UNDP
Sudan’s role as Principal Recipient
for the GFATM.
• UNDP will be the implementing
agency for the delivery of a new building
at the Blue Nile Research and Training
Institute (BNRTI).
Snapshots of the project's major achievements
• A total of 3, 491,860 people
with uncomplicated malaria received
correct diagnosis and treatment (artemisinin-based
combination therapy - ACT) according
to the national guidelines.
• 6, 1883 houses and areas in
south Gazeera were sprayed with insecticides.
• Distributed 480,000 Long Lasting
Impregnated Nets (LLIN) in the Northern
states. In particular 40,000 LLIN in
the first year in Southern and West
Darfur, in addition to the distribution
of 15,000 LLIN in South Darfur and 17,000
LLIN in West Darfur for the second year.
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