Encouraging results as Sahel governments collaborate to prevent malaria in children under five

Preliminary results from the first months of implementation of the first project to scale up SMC across the Sahel suggest significant decrease in malaria cases and malaria-related deaths.

For the 25 million children who live across the Sahel, where there is a seasonal surge in malaria rates, the World Health Organization recommends seasonal malaria chemoprevention (SMC) as an effective tool in the fight against malaria. In 2014, only 3.5 million children received this preventive treatment.

Achieving Catalytic Expansion of Seasonal Malaria Chemoprevention in the Sahel (ACCESS-SMC) is the first project of its type, promoting the scale-up of SMC across the Sahel. By 2017, countries[1] supported by ACCESS-SMC will have provided lifesaving SMC to over 10 million children and after the first year of drug distributions, results are already looking promising.

Dr. Yacouba Savadogo, representative of the National Malaria Control Programme in Burkina Faso, recently discussed the lessons learnt and the impact of the ACCESS-SMC project at the 64th Annual Meeting of the American Society of Tropical Medicine & Hygiene (ASTMH) in Philadelphia. Among key results are Burkina Faso's year-on-year (2015 vs. 2014) administrative data on malaria cases and malaria-related deaths which suggest significant reductions (31% and 44% respectively), following the first two cycles of SMC distribution.

"The reduction in cases is in line with evidence from past clinical trials and is extremely encouraging", said Diego Moroso, ACCESS-SMC Project Director. "Similar preliminary indications of reduction in malaria-related morbidity and mortality are coming from other countries, such as Chad and Nigeria. Besides data reported from health centres, anecdotal evidence is strong and everywhere we visit, health workers are quick to highlight how health facilities are emptier this year with far fewer sick children. We are confident about the information we've started to receive and we are currently working with London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine and national Ministries of Health to scientifically corroborate these data; by early next year we hope to confirm beyond any reasonable doubt the results we're witnessing now."

ACCESS-SMC is a UNITAID-funded project led by Malaria Consortium, in partnership with Catholic Relief Services (CRS) and will provide 15 million treatments in 2015 and 30 million treatments in 2016 across the region, to help protect an estimated 3.4 million children and 6.8 million children respectively.

This project brings together a consortium of leading players in malaria prevention, working to support national malaria control programs to deliver SMC to seven West African countries: Burkina Faso, Chad, Guinea Conakry, Mali, Niger, Nigeria and The Gambia.

"Our collaboration with Malaria Consortium for the ACCESS-SMC Project provides more than the opportunity to scale up SMC in the Sahel region of the country," said Agbo Emmanuel, SMC focal point, NMEP Nigeria. "By participating in this project, we have the opportunity to meet with the six other implementing countries, share experiences, discuss challenges and lessons learnt with SMC partners and stakeholders."

Over the next two years, ACCESS-SMC will work with national governments and international donors to help secure additional resources so that more children can benefit from this highly effective approach to malaria prevention, both now and into the future.