13 African countries excel in malaria fight

Thirteen African countries are to be awarded by the African Leaders Malaria Alliance (ALMA) for their role in drastically reducing malaria incidence and death across the continent.
                                                                                                 
The 2016 ALMA Awards for Excellence will go to Botswana, Cape Verde, Eritrea, Namibia, Rwanda, São Tomé and Príncipe, South Africa, and Swaziland for achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) target for malaria, a statement issued by the organisation Friday said.

Also Liberia, Rwanda and Senegal for Performance in Malaria Control between 2011 and 2015

Comoros, and Guinea and Mali for being the Most Improved in Malaria Control, between 2011 and 2015

The awards will be presented Saturday in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

The improvement in malaria fight has been attributed to extensive use of effective and low-cost malaria control interventions, including long-lasting insecticide-treated nets and indoor residual spraying, which has led to the huge declines in incidence and death. "Given that malaria-infected mosquitoes in Africa bite indoors and at night, these interventions have been highly effective," the statement said.

Since 2000, more than one billion insecticide-treated nets have been distributed in sub-Saharan Africa, it added.

Uganda is notably missing on the list of countries to be awarded. Health minister, Dr. Elioda Tumwesigye said he did not know the criteria they used, but that the country has registered significant achievement in the fight against malaria.

"Uganda is one of the few countries that have achieved universal mosquito net coverage. We are able to have two people having a net," he explained.

He also noted that from 2009 to 2014, Uganda was able to reduce malaria prevalence from 42% to 19%.

The statement said that Africa has achieved historic progress in the fight against malaria over the past 15 years.

"Since 2000, malaria mortality rates in Africa have fallen by 66 percent among all age groups and by 71 percent among children under five. Annual malaria deaths in Africa have decreased from an estimated 764,000 in 2000 to 395,000 in 2015," the release said.

According to the World Health Organization, reductions in malaria cases attributable to malaria control activities saved an estimated $900 million in case management costs from 2001 to 2014.

"For the first time in history, a malaria-free Africa is in sight," Ethiopia's Prime Minister and current chair of ALMA, Hailemariam Dessalegn said.

"The success in these 13 countries and elsewhere across the continent demonstrates that strong leadership is our most powerful weapon against this ancient and deadly disease," he added.

Many African leaders have made fighting malaria a key focus over the past several years, assisted by commitments from donors such as the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, the United States' President's Malaria Initiative, the United Kingdom's Department for International Development, and France's multilateral and bilateral contributions.

"ALMA is honored to work with these inspiring leaders," ALMA Executive Secretary, Joy Phumaphi said. "They are saving lives and unlocking human potential as they rid their countries of this horrible scourge. With their renewed commitment and dedicated resources, I am confident Africa can eliminate this disease."

However, there is still much work to do. About 90 percent of all global malaria cases and deaths occur in Africa. Malaria still kills an African child every two minutes. In 2015, there were an estimated 188 million cases of malaria in Africa.

Furthermore, millions of Africans are not receiving the lifesaving health care services and tools they need to prevent and treat malaria.

A recent Lancet study concluded that reductions in malaria transmission and burden could be accelerated over the next 15 years if the level of coverage of current interventions is increased.

Two of this year's awardees, Liberia and Guinea, were facing a severe Ebola crisis in 2014 and 2015, making their successes in the area of malaria control all the more remarkable.

Founded in 2009, ALMA is a ground breaking coalition of 49 African heads of state and government working across country and regional borders to achieve a malaria-free Africa by 2030