Bamako, December 1st, 2022 – The United States President’s Malaria Initiative (PMI) and its partner VectorLink Project marked the successful completion of a five-year indoor residual spraying (IRS) vector control program. The program contributed to protecting up to 690,000 Malians per year against malaria. Mali is now recognized as a leader in terms of bed-net coverage on the African continent, with a nearly 200% increase in the number of pregnant women and young children who sleep under an ITN since PMI began partnering with the government in 2007. Child deaths due to malaria have fallen by 47% in this same period. The PMI-funded project conclusion comes at a time when the Malian government is prioritizing the deployment of new-generation insecticide-treated bed nets (ITNs) as the main malaria vector control intervention
Since 2018 the PMI -funded project work ed with the NMCP, the National Directorate of Sanitation and Pollution Control, and local health and environmental compliance teams in 47 high burden malaria health areas in Bandiagara, Bankass, Djenne, and Mopti districts. The project conducted spray campaigns of residential structures with a long-lasting insecticide to protect people from malaria-transmitting mosquitoes which is a proven life-saving vector control intervention. The most recent campaign took place from May 30-July 6, 2022, and sprayed more than 72,000 structures in these districts, protecting more than 273,800 people, including nearly 21,000 pregnant women and 50,000 children under age five, vulnerable to the disease.
The campaigns have operated in challenging environments over the past few years, as terrorism and violent extremism has severely affected the target areas, resulting in a high-risk operating environment for the spray teams. Recent epidemics and fuel shortages have also inhibited delivery of health services, highlighting the importance of preventing malaria in affected communities.
Despite these challenges, over the past five years, the PMI VectorLink project has completed five IRS spray campaigns, and progressively strengthened the NMCP’s capacity to plan, implement, and supervise spray campaigns in the districts mentioned above through supportive and increasingly autonomous supervision. With PMI’s support the project trained more than 2,357 people to conduct spray campaigns in their communities. The project managed to garner support through participatory and inclusive dialogue with community members which has led to acceptance of spray campaigns at households.
The project contributed to equipping the local workforce with the skills, tools, and workforce to conduct high-quality spray campaigns. In addition, the project collaborated with the national malaria control program and local research institutions to conduct high-quality entomological monitoring—tracking the effectiveness and efficacy of vector control interventions to monitor resistance of mosquitoes to insecticides . Most notably, the project introduced a community-led surveillance approach, to further strengthen and reduce costs for these critical mosquito monitoring efforts. PMI VectorLink also worked with the NMCP to enhance the country’s capabilities in data analytics and visualization to ensure evidence-based decision making that will continue beyond the life of the project.
The U.S. President’s Malaria Initiative (PMI) has partnered with Mali’s National Malaria Control Program (NMCP) to fight malaria since 2007, contributing $26.5 million in 2021 and $339 million to date Through PMI programs in Mali, more than 20 million bed nets, 29 million rapid tests, 20 million fast-acting medicines, and 39 million preventative treatments for pregnant women and children have been delivered to clinics and communities. Nearly 75,000 health workers have been trained with support from PMI, enhancing their ability to detect and treat malaria, while strengthening the health system overall and providing key skills to fight COVID-19 and future pandemics.
About PMI: The U.S. President’s Malaria Initiative (PMI) supports 24 partner countries in sub-Saharan Africa and 3 programs across 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.