Fundación Recover works in Cameroon to curb endemic malaria

World Malaria Day (also known as malaria) is observed on 25 April, and here at the Recover Foundation we want to continue raising awareness of the situation regarding this disease in Africa. According to the WHO’s 2022 World Malaria Report, the African continent continues to bear the heaviest burden of the disease. In 2021, 95% of all cases worldwide occurred there. Malaria continues to take a heavy toll on children: 80% of all malaria-related deaths in the region were among children under the age of five.

In Cameroon – a country where Fundación Recover works to control the disease – malaria is endemic. As our representative in Cameroon, Émilie Ngono, explains, “the over 27 million Cameroonians are regularly exposed to the disease”. In 2022, the country registered over three million cases and nearly 4,000 deaths, the majority among children under five years old and pregnant women.

However, despite the starkness of the cold, hard figures, the WHO states that Cameroon has become one of the 15 countries that have managed to reduce the incidence of malaria cases and the proportion of deaths, from 18% in 2019 to 13.5% today. This spurs us on to continue our work. “The use of insecticide-treated bed nets (ITNs), the involvement of community health workers and improvements in the quality of diagnosis and treatment are some of the factors that have led to progress in controlling the disease,” says Ngono.

Working jointly with local authorities and following the recommendations of the national strategy implemented in the country, Fundación Recover is carrying out actions against malaria in Cameroon through awareness campaigns – in both schools and communities – centred on the prevention and treatment of the disease. Insecticide-treated mosquito nets (ITNs) are also distributed among families participating in the campaign.

Our objective for 2023 is to reach 1,360 children through schools and families, using teachers and mothers as awareness agents. To this end, the campaign aims to train a group of ‘healthy mothers’ to be the promoters of preventive measures. Following the awareness phase, and through the health centres we support, the corresponding medical tests and treatments are planned, including hospitalisation if necessary.

Awareness, the great challenge in malaria prevention
Although the public is aware of the existence of the disease and has some information about it, it is still necessary to continue raising awareness about the symptoms of the disease. As Émilie explains to us, “many people self-medicate and malaria has symptoms similar to other diseases, such as typhoid fever. Therefore, if a person does not go to the hospital for a good diagnosis, they may end up taking the wrong treatment.” She continues, “here in Cameroon many people still think that mangoes, for example, transmit malaria. We still need to place a lot of emphasis on prevention work, especially with the intensification of hygiene and sanitation campaigns in communities.”.

The arrival of the vaccine a little closer
Preventive treatments such as vaccines are necessary to advance the eradication of malaria. Dr. Mbiam, a doctor at the St. Raphaëlle Marie centre in Cameroon, tells us that “vaccination is particularly important for vulnerable people, such as children aged 0 to 5 years, pregnant women, and even people from Europe and elsewhere where malaria is infrequent. Vaccination will reduce deaths and other malaria-related complications such as, for example, miscarriage”.

The RTS,S/AS01 malaria vaccine was recommended by the WHO to prevent the disease in children living in regions with moderate or high transmission. In 2021, approximately 364,000 children were reached with at least one dose of the vaccine through pilot campaigns in Ghana, Kenya, and Malawi. The results of these campaigns have confirmed that the vaccine is safe and reduces incidence in paediatric populations, as well as hospitalisations and deaths. Some countries will begin to introduce this preventive treatment throughout 2023; this is the case for Ghana, the first country in the world to approve the use of a malaria vaccine.