Malaria Control and Prevention Program
Stopping malaria starts with prevention—protecting every life, every family, every community.
Overview
Prior to 2017, CBCHS’ malaria response was limited to its health facilities receiving self-reported cases, testing suspected ones and treating the positives. In 2017, malaria became the leading disease and cause of deaths in all CBCHS facilities – thereby corroborating the national statistics. In response, CBCHS set up a comprehensive Malaria Control and Prevention Program (MCP-P) the same year and has since then been active in the fight against malaria – helping the country to attain the WHO target of 90% reduction of malaria burden by 2030.
The CBCHS Malaria Control and Prevention Program (MCP-P) provides preventive and promotive, early case detection, care and treatment services. Through a strong community malaria pillar, it trains and uses polyvalent community health workers, conducts outreaches to underserved hard-to-reach rural communities, and health education through existing socio-cultural structures and media organs. Malaria services have been gradually mainstreamed in other CBCHS-run public health programs to increase early case identification and referrals to care and treatment services. CBCHS has also maintained trained malaria focal points in all its health facilities to organize and coordinate malaria response to ensure effectiveness and efficiency. Malaria diagnosis is done at all entry points in her facilities to further increase access and testing of suspected cases. Cumulatively, from 2016 to 2024, our health facilities diagnosed at least 305,514 new malaria cases and linked all of them to treatment.
- Malaria is preventable, and every life lost to it is a reminder that prevention must never rest.
Our Vission & Mission
Mission
The CBC Health Services Malaria Control and Prevention Program seeks to provide policy that ensures standard case management for patients with malaria in all her health facilities as a key strategy to reducing morbidity, mortality and socioeconomic losses.
Vision
Accelerating progress towards malaria elimination in Cameroon
GUIDING PRINCIPLES:
The guiding principle is to promote safe, effective, good quality, affordable, accessible and acceptable malaria treatment, and at the same time encourage rational drug use in order to minimize development of drug resistance.
SCOPE:
Malaria exists nationwide with geo-climatic variations in prevalence according to the main epidemiological facets. The extensive network of the CBC Health Services facilities stretching through eight of the ten regions of Cameroon covers all these epidemiological facets which constitute sites for monitoring and reporting of malaria management.
- Effective management and treatment of uncomplicated and severe malaria. This is done through training of midwives and ANC staff on the prevention, detection, and treatment of malaria in children and intermittent preventive treatment in pregnancy, and training of screeners for increased accessibility to prompt malaria diagnosis and treatment.
- Efficient management and communication on malaria through training of malaria focal persons in all facilities on how to improve malaria tracking and reporting systems to achieve a reduction in underreported cases. These focal points also do monthly reporting of malaria data in their facilities following indicators set by the Planning, Monitoring and Learning program of the CBCHS.
- Understanding and adopting the national guidelines on the different drugs through training of laboratory staff on accurate diagnosis and pharmacy staff on efficient dispensing of antimalarials.
Research monitoring and innovation activities as well as collaboration with local and international stakeholders to forge partnerships, leverage expertise and resources, while fostering collaborative initiatives that strengthen malaria control activities.
Besides direct malaria service delivery, there is also continuous support to the national malaria response in the country for overall health system strengthening as follows:
- Strengthening Health Workforce: Various cadres of staff have been trained on malaria diagnosis, management, and documentation and reporting. In total, 212 laboratory technicians, 405 nurses, pharmacy technicians, 85 midwives and 700 data entry clerks have been trained as part of in-service training to increase and improve the quality of malaria services offered in CBCHS facilities. The program has trained and engaged 245 Community Health Workers (CHWs) in active case finding and referral, and coached over 800 pregnant women and nursing mothers on the handling and correct use of treated mosquito bed nets.
- Contributing to Policy design and Research: The CBCHS signed a partnership Agreement with the Ministry of Health in 2011. Before this overt partnership, the CBCHS has always been a major technical partner to Cameroon’s Ministry of Public Health (MoPH); a key member of the Technical Working Group for the National Malaria Control Program and actively participating in policy design efforts. It took part in the validation of the National Malaria Management Guidelines and in the review the provisions of Presidential Decree No. 48 on free treatment for under five children and IPT in pregnancy. CBCHS is continually engaged in the review and updating of national SoPs and protocols for malaria as a major provider in the country. With regards to research, CBCHS is in constant collaboration with research institutions to conduct clinical and or operations research to increase scientific knowledge. A partnership with the universities of Bamenda and Dschang, a molecular study is ongoing to determine malaria drug efficacy. Meanwhile an MOU was signed with a Cameroon based research institution, FINISHTECH which will usher in more research, training and clinical trial initiatives. CBCHS is due to commence USAID supported pilot for a digital health system for malaria management.
- Increasing Malaria awareness in communities: CBCHS reaches approximately 1.5 million people each year with relevant malaria education both at facility and community levels using posters, flyers, brochures, comic strips, traditional and social media – thereby contributing to knowledge, attitude and behaviour change and service uptake in communities. During celebration of world malaria day CBCHS is usually very present on radio talk shows as well as granting radio interviews.
- Contributing to the development of tools: The CBCHS has developed/adapted relevant tools which are now used to facilitate information sharing, case detection and management. Using best practices from Ghana, Kenya and Tanzania, we developed a Malaria Communication Strategy Hand Book currently being used by health personnel in sensitizing local communities; and a Malaria Handbook which CHWs use to detect and manage malaria in rural communities.
Improving health information system: CBCHS is also actively contributing to national efforts aimed at improving malaria health information management. Under its HIV program, it has put in place an electronic data management software called Data Manager (DAMA) which now facilitates real time reporting and data use. DAMA has been approved by the Minister of Public Health for national use is already operational in 9 regions and CBCHS has begun mainstreaming malaria indicators into the system.
The program successfully published a paper on “Knowledge Gaps and Challenges in Malaria Management in selected health facilities in Cameroon: A Stakeholder Approach to Improving uptake of Malaria Prevention and Treatment for childhood Malaria” An abstract on the “Acceptability of Integrating Novel Malaria Prevention Tools into Routine Immunization Visits in Cameroon”, was presented on November 15th at the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene 2024 Annual Meeting in New Orleans, Louisiana. A second abstract on “Geographical Variation in SP Resistance Markers and Implications for Malaria Chemoprevention in Cameroon” was submitted for the Women in Malaria Conference to be held in the UK in 2025.
The program is also collaborating with Dr. Judie Odom of the Alabama University in research that is carried out in Baptist Hospital Mutengene (BHM), and Mboppi Baptist Hospital Douala (MBHD) on prevalence of malaria in HIV positive women. Other research proposals are awaiting approval by the IRB with Dr. Ali Innocent of the University of Dschang and Dr. Tobias Apinjoh a Post-doctoral fellow in the USA.
In the area of innovation, the program started a pilot training of Head Teachers of Nursery and Primary Schools on “Schools as a Platform for Control of Malaria”. This training has already been scaled up in the North West, South West and West regions. This consists in training the primary school pupils with messages, mini dramas and other activities that will help them carry the malaria prevention lessons back to their parents and communities. This is proving to be a very successful means of telling the malaria prevention story.
The Malaria Control and Prevention Program (MCP-P) is also working with the Community Initiative AIDS Care and Prevention (CIACP) Program that now has a malaria component included in their activities. This collaboration is the areas of best practices, information sharing and collaborative field outreaches will further increase visibility for both programs. Through this collaboration, the training of selected Heads from Primary and Secondary Schools in Tiko sub division on the inclusion of malaria lessons in teaching of health education was realized.
CBC Health Services facilities are located in eight of the ten regions of the country, some in hard-to-reach communities. Combating malaria in these communities, requires urgent actions beyond the health facility-based interventions currently practiced. Therefore, outreach programs and mobile clinics to targeted communities constitute the best approach to malaria management and prevention. There is also decreased access to many of these communities due to the socio-political situation, making the use of a Program means of transport indispensable. We are the lone program without a program vehicle, despite the high income from patient fees generated from malaria management. We rely on accompanying vehicles from other programs who have activities in the same locality, or we use public transportation with very painful hurdles. Having a vehicle for the program has an added value in timely execution of planned activities and rapid intervention of malaria activities to meet the needs of the local communities.
Plans for the upcoming years involve addressing the malaria disease from multiple angles—prevention, treatment, education, and environmental management. This will not only reduce malaria cases, but will also improve the overall quality of life in the communities since asymptomatic cases will be targeted to reduce the malaria parasite reservoir within the community. This will involve: developing and implementing comprehensive malaria control strategies and policies; coordinating activities among various stakeholders, including healthcare providers, community leaders, and researchers; establishing systems for monitoring and evaluating the impact of malaria control interventions; analysing data and preparing reports on program progress and effectiveness; promoting awareness and education campaigns about malaria prevention and treatment, engaging with communities to encourage the adoption of preventive measures; training healthcare workers and community volunteers on malaria diagnosis, treatment, and prevention; fostering the development of local expertise and leadership in malaria control, and supporting and coordinating research efforts to develop new tools and strategies for malaria control.
The CBCHS Malaria Control and Prevention Program has the overall mission of reducing malaria transmission that benefits everyone in the community, by lowering infection rates and improving overall public health. Malaria disproportionately affects poorer communities, so targeting these groups will help reduce health disparities. Therefore, populations of rural and high-risk communities, and particularly those in impoverished regions, will be primary targets for intervention due to their higher risk and limited access to healthcare. By addressing the needs of these groups, our Malaria Control and Prevention Program aims to reduce the incidence and burden of the disease, ultimately striving for the elimination of the disease in Cameroon.