World Malaria Day: U.S. Invested $89 Million in Fighting Malaria in Cameroon

Yaoundé, Cameroon — This past year, COVID-19 created an unprecedented global crisis, yet malaria has long been a crisis in Cameroon.  The United States is proud to support Cameroon to continue its fight against malaria.  The efforts Cameroon has made to sustain essential malaria services amid the COVID-19 pandemic are saving many lives.  Cameroon’s continued resilience and innovations in the dual fight against malaria and COVID-19 are inspiring.  

The U.S. President’s Malaria Initiative (PMI) has partnered with Cameroon to fight malaria since 2017, contributing $89 million (48 billion FCFA) to date.  This funding has enabled delivery of over 250,000 bed nets, 1.6 million malaria testing kits, 850,000 fast-acting medicines, 1.3 million preventive treatments for pregnant women, and 21.4 million preventive treatments for children less than five years old.  PMI has also conducted trainings for over 57,000 Cameroonians health workers to date, while strengthening health systems to reinforce and amplify Cameroon’s efforts to end this deadly, yet entirely preventable, disease.  

Cameroon’s significant progress against malaria is highlighted in the U.S. President’s Malaria Initiative’s 15th Annual Report.  Reflecting on World Malaria Day, U.S. Embassy Chargé d’Affaires a.i.Vernelle Trim FitzPatrick declared,“The health of Cameroonians is one of the top priorities for U.S. foreign assistance in Cameroon.  We have worked side by side with Government of Cameroon health officials for years and have invested almost ninety million dollars to strengthen the health system and fight malaria.” 

Despite incredible progress, too many people still lack the malaria interventions that save lives.  Too many nurses, midwives, community health workers and others are delivering essential malaria services with insufficient training, equipment, and pay.  It is essential that health systems are made safer for them and more effective in reaching the people they serve.  The milestone of eliminating malaria is still too far away for many countries.  U.S. Global Malaria Coordinator Raj Panjabi, appointed by President Joseph R.  Biden to lead the U.S. President’s Malaria Initiative, says, “Science shows we can beat malaria and we can beat it in our lifetime.  Yet we need bold action to stop COVID-19 from holding us back.  The United States is proud to partner with Cameroon to continue the fight.”  

About PMI: The U.S. President's Malaria Initiative (PMI) supports 24 partner countries in sub-Saharan Africa and 3 programs in the Greater Mekong Subregion in Southeast Asia to control and eliminate malaria. Led by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and implemented together with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), PMI delivers cost-effective, lifesaving malaria interventions—such as insecticide-treated bed nets, indoor residual spraying, and essential medicines—and invests in health workers and health systems to accelerate the global fight against this deadly infectious disease. Thanks to the generosity of the American people, PMI benefits more than 700 million people at risk of malaria worldwide each year.