With an estimated 700,000 cases annually, malaria is a major public health problem in
“People who suspect they have malaria should get tested before treatment since not every fever is malaria,’ says Balslev-Olesen. “Rapid diagnostic tests and effective drugs have been introduced with support from the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria and UNICEF has been able to guarantee that communities access them.”
In most African countries where malaria is common, treatment is normally based on assumptions that symptoms of fever are indicative of malaria without testing. More often individuals start taking action either by self medication through drugs bought over the counter or other local remedies like consulting a local herbalist.
However, through the simple rapid diagnostic test available in all health facilities in
ACT is made up of two drugs: Artesunate and Sulfadoxine- Pyramethamine:. Since 2006, UNICEF has been training health workers in the country on malaria treatment using ACT to replace drugs to which there is high resistance. As severely malnourished children are particularly vulnerable to malaria, ACT is also being provided through therapeutic feeding centres.
“In some instances the true cause of fever may not be malaria and by not getting tested for malaria, individuals can miss the opportunity to treat the real cause of fever,” says Abdinor Mohammed, Malaria Coordinator for the Global Fund programme in Central/Southern Somalia. “Generally we see that 20 to 30% of persons tested actually have malaria while the others are suffering from other illnesses that require different treatment.”
UNICEF Somalia is using this year’s World Malaria Day as an opportunity to address this growing challenge that every fever is malaria and is launching a campaign to encourage individuals to demand for a test before malaria treatment.