Three staff of the President's Malaria Initiative (PMI) visited Madagascar from April 13 to 18, 2010 to observe the implemen-tation of the Integrated Management of Child Illnesses at commu-nity level (IMCIc), which includes prevention and management of malaria, pneumonia, and diarrhea. The team comprising Dr. Michelle Chang, CDC/Atlanta (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) Monitoring and Evaluation Advisor, Dr. George Greer, Senior Advisor in Child Survival and Infectious Diseases from USAID/Washington, and Mr. Donald Dickerson, PMI Advisor at USAID/Madagascar, conducted site visits to remote fokontany in the southeastern district of Taolagnaro (Fort-Dauphin)..
During this visit, the PMI team discussed with community health workers in fokontany (villages) that are at least a one-hour walk from the nearest health center and where children often suffer from fever or cough. ACs deliver IMCIc services that for the first time include the use of Rapid Diagnostic Tests (RDTs) to confirm malaria cases. The team noted that the local population in villages visited suffers from a high prevalence of malaria among fever cases. For example, 50 to 70 percent of RDTs conducted are positive.
IMCIc is one of the health services delivered to communities based on the USAID Santenet2 project's Kaominina Mendrika salama approach. A five-year, $32 million project, Santenet2 is a basic component of the United States Government's assistance to the Malagasy people in the health sector. The Kaominina Mendrika salama approach promotes the community's commitment to improving its health care.
The President's Malaria Initiative (PMI) aims to reduce malaria-related mortality by more than 50 percent in 15 African countries, including Madagascar. This initiative, managed by USAID in collaboration with CDC, supports the use of effective prevention and treatment tools such as long-lasting insecticide treated nets, indoor spraying of insecticides, preventive treatment of pregnant women, and treatment of malaria with ACTs. PMI activities in Madagascar fall within the scope of the national malaria control strategic plan. The Initiative has had a total budget of more than $65 million since its launch in Madagascar in 2007.