US begins phase two of indoor residual spraying in 8 districts

MALARIA

The US government has kick-started the second phase of indoor residual spraying in eight high-burden malaria districts in Lango and Teso sub-regions through its VectorLink Project.

The exercise which began on May 25, is being implemented under the US government's President's Malaria Initiative (PMI).

The project is being led by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and implemented together with the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in partnership with the Ugandan Ministry of Health. 

"Phase two of spraying is expected to last 24 days and will include the following districts:  Otuke, Alebtong, Lira, Dokolo, Kaberamaido, Kalaki, Amolatar, and Serere. 

This second phase of spraying follows a March spraying completed by the VectorLink Project in Butebo, Pallisa, Kibuku, Budaka, Butaleja, Namutumba, Bugiri, and Tororo," a statement from the US Embassy in Uganda said.

Indoor residual spraying has contributed to a significant decrease in malaria prevalence in children under the age of five, lower malaria prevalence during pregnancy and at delivery, improved birth outcomes, and a reduced risk of low birth weight, pre-term birth, and fetal/neonatal deaths. 

With the US government support through PMI, more than four million people in Uganda are protected from malaria every year through indoor residual spraying - 862,536 are children under five years old and more than 119,000 are pregnant women, according to the Vectorlink Project Uganda 2019 End of Spray Report. 

The project will take all appropriate infection prevention and control measures to protect both the spray operators and the beneficiaries.

"Since 2006, the U.S. government has worked to prevent and control malaria in Uganda through PMI, helping to reduce child mortality by 53 percent and lowering malaria prevalence among children under five from 42 percent in 2009 to nine percent in 2019 according to the 2019 Uganda Malaria Indicator Survey," the statement added. 

In spite of this significant progress, malaria remains a leading cause of morbidity and mortality in Uganda, accounting for 30 to 50 percent of outpatient visits and 15 to 20 percent of hospital admissions, according to the Ministry of Health reports. 

The US embassy said ongoing efforts are needed at all levels - individual, household, community, and national - to prevent transmission and ensure rapid diagnosis and treatment in order to control the disease.

"We encourage everyone in Uganda to utilize the protective measures available, such as insecticide-treated bed-nets and intermittent prevention of malaria in pregnancy to prevent the spread of malaria.  We all need to work together to embrace preventive measures including indoor residual spraying in order to reduce the burden of malaria on Uganda's health systems during a time when it is overburdened with maintaining routine health services during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic," the statement said. 

According to the Ministry of Health advisory on malaria issued last August, there was an increase in malaria cases by over 1 million cases countrywide for the period of June-August 2019