Malaria

It is estimated that over 70% of the Sudanese population living in endemic areas are at risk for malaria. In the Southern Sector of Sudan malaria is hyper-endemic and holo-endemic where 24-36% of individuals are affected. The high-risk groups for malaria include the internally displaced people, returnees or population movement of non- immune people from areas of low transmission to highly endemic areas, all children and all women of child bearing age. Risk factors that increase the vulnerability of people, and thus increase the burden of malaria include:

limited access to health facilities and quality drugs making management of severe malaria difficult to achieve
decreased immunity due to repeated occurrence of other diseases and malnutrition
harsh climatic conditions change causing people to move close to wetlands during the dry seasons
appropriate response is beyond local and national capacity and agencies may be implementing different policies

Local capacity for response to malaria is inadequate due to conflict, poverty and extreme climatic factors leading to proliferation of mosquito breeding sites, few infrastructures and poor education. As a result, the majority of the population has little or no information and limited access to the prevention and management of malaria.

The population most at risk of being infected by malaria are pregnant women and children under 5 years.

AAA provides Long Lasting Insecticide-Treated Nets (LLITNs) to protect mothers and children in malaria prone areas. Moreover AAA gives pregnant women intermittent preventive treatment (IPT) with SP (sulphadoxine/pyrimethamine)

Achievements in 2009

• 65,000 LLITNs have been distributed to vulnerable groups
• 76,438 people benefited from malaria health education
• 777 different health cadres (Health Workers, IECHC workers, TBAs, etc) have been trained internally on different topics of malaria prevention and treatment.
  413 IEC materials distributed
• 12,731 malaria cases treated
• 16 Lab assistant trained on RDTs

During the 20 years of war, people were not able to get even the most basic information on diseases affecting their community. AAA helps to strengthen the community health management committees (CHMCs) where they exist, and eventually establish them in those communities where they are absent. AAA provides capacity building to the CHMC through regular meetings and assisting them in process of identifying possible staff for PHC facilities. AAA is working with the CHMC to help empower the community to be actively involved in health behaviour decision making and demand for services by assessing the key health issues within the community and working with CHMC to address these issues.