Fight against malaria, priority is given to children
Given the extent of the persistence of malaria in the country and more in the northern regions and the Far North, the Ministry of Public Health has made appropriate arrangements. The first target to be protected remains the child. The choice is justified by the fact that of the approximately 3,000 deaths from malaria in health facilities each year, almost 60% are children under five. Also, Roll Back Malaria and WHO ranked Cameroon 11th in the world as the most affected state. To do this, a fourth Seasonal Malaria Chemoprevention (SPC) campaign will be launched in favor of the three to 59 months in July. This announcement by the Minister of Public Health (Minsanté), Dr. Manaouda Malachie, was made yesterday in Yaoundé. The campaign consists of the intermittent administration of a complete treatment with an antimalarial during the strong season of transmission to avoid the disease. And the goal is to maintain a therapeutic concentration of the drug in the blood of the subject during the period when the risk of contracting the disease is higher. Given the positive effect produced in 2018 by contributing to the drastic drop in under-five mortality, the MHealth intends to stay the course. The conditions for receiving these medications are for children who do not have simple or severe malaria, those who are HIV-positive or chronically ill and unable to take oral medication.
