Focus on Malawi

Since the creation of the NMCP in 1984, malaria control activities in Malawi have benefited from strong leadership and coordination.

Malawi has successfully garnered the support of external donors and, since 2006, funding for malaria control has increased tremendously. From 2006 to 2010, external partners committed more than US$ 121 million in funding for Malawi’s malaria control efforts. Funding for malaria control in Malawi has come mainly from four sources: the Government of Malawi, the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria (Global Fund), the United States President’s Malaria Initiative (US-PMI), and household level expenditures.

These financial contributions have supported critical malaria prevention and treatment activities, including:

• Distribution of more than 9 million ITNs over the period 2004–2010 through commercial outlets and public health facilities.
• Expansion of IRS from one district to seven districts over the period 2004–2010, protecting nearly 2 million residents.
• Distribution of more than 21 million doses of artemisinin-based combination therapy (ACT) over the period 2007–2010.

These activities have translated into gains in the coverage of malaria control interventions at the national level, notably:

• Household ownership of at least one ITN increased dramatically from less than 13% in 2000 to 55% in 2012.
• ITN use among vulnerable populations has increased remarkably between 2000 and 2012— from less than 3% among children under five years of age and pregnant women to 56% and 51%, respectively.
• The percentage of pregnant women receiving at least two doses of intermittent preventive treatment during pregnancy (IPTp2) in 2012 was 54%, nearly twice that recorded in 2000 and one of the highest coverage rates in sub-Saharan Africa.
• In 2012, half of all children under five years of age with fever sought treatment from a health facility, provider, or pharmacy—a significant increase from 35% in 2000.