US Discloses Plans to Spend $68m to Fight Malaria

Starrys Obazei/January 19, 2023.

The United States has disclosed plans to spend $68 million for monitoring activities that would help eradicate malaria in Nigeria.

A document released in Washington DC on Wednesday said the money would be spent under the Presidential Malaria Initiative, PMI, according to The Nation.

It said the funding will support monitoring insecticide resistance testing in all 11 PMI focus states and five non-PMI focus states.

The beneficiary states include Enugu and Kaduna, Abia, Ekiti, Kogi, Kebbi, and Sokoto.

The statement reads: “In addition, PMI will continue to support the procurement and distribution of ITNs through mass campaigns, providing technical support to the country’s CY 2024 mass distributions through participation and supporting social and behavior change to improve the use and care of ITNs.

PMI will also maintain the support of streamlined durability monitoring of Interceptor G2 nets (Interceptor G2) in Kebbi State. PMI plans to procure 5.6 million Interceptor G2 for mass campaigns in Oyo State.

The statement added: “PMI Nigeria will continue to support activities to strengthen malaria in pregnancy services and improve uptake of intermittent preventive treatment for pregnant women, including strengthening national and state level MIP coordination structures in collaboration with the Ministry of Health Reproductive Health Division; supporting the revision of MIP guidelines, standard operating procedures, training manuals, and job aids to address barriers to uptake of IPTp; and expanding the introduction of the revised guidelines to medical training institutions and other relevant professional associations.

“PMI will continue to support facility antenatal care provider training and mentoring on MIP, fund facility ANC HWs supervision and clinical meetings in targeted health facilities to strengthen MIP implementation, and intensify advocacy to federal and state health authorities to procure sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine for IPT in the ANC facilities through the various existing platforms (Drug Management Agencies (DMAs)/Drug Revolving Fund, Basic Healthcare Provision Fund.

“PMI will also support the uptake of IPTp through the ANC platform, leveraging maternal child health funds that support ANC promotion efforts (mainly social behavior change) through Integrated Health Program in the three states that utilize an integrated health mechanism.”

Also, PMI Nigeria will support seasonal malaria chemoprevention in Benue and Zamfara, covering more than 2.2 million children aged 3-59 months.

“PMI Nigeria will continue to support key case management activities through technical assistance at the federal and state levels, commodity procurement, and facility and community level activities. Activities will include providing updated guidelines for malaria case management, conducting therapeutic efficacy studies, and continuing efforts to establish a national malaria slide bank. With FY 2023 funds, PMI Nigeria will procure 17 million rapid diagnostic tests (RDTs), 15 million artemisinin-based combination therapies, 350,000 vials of injectable artesunate (IAS), and assorted microscopy supplies, to be distributed to over 5,000 health facilities in the 11 PMI focus states.

“At the facility level, PMI will continue to support the training of health workers in primary health care and secondary health facilities and conduct clinical meetings to increase the quality of malaria case management. At the community level, PMI will expand integrated community case management to four states through the Community Health Influencers, Promoters, and Services Program, including the payment of CHIPS agents,” said the statement.