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Frequently Asked Questions on Malaria
About 100 countries in the world have malaria, almost half of which are in
sub-Saharan Africa. More than 2.4 billion people are at risk.
There are an estimated 200 to 500 million malaria cases each year, with about 90 per cent of these occurring in sub-Saharan Africa. Our target, as part of Millennium Development Goal 6, is that by 2015 there is a halt and the start of the reversal of the incidence of malaria as well as other major diseases such as HIV, AIDS and TB.
1. What is DFID doing about malaria?
DFID is providing £48 million to the
Roll Back Malaria
(RBM) Partnership for the period 1999 to 2004 and has pledged £140
million for the period 2005–08 to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and
Malaria.
DFID's research department has committed £10 million for malaria research,
including £5 million for Medicines
for Malaria Venture and £2.86 million to the London
School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine malaria programme.
£2.86 million of this is being spent on investigating insecticide-treated nets (ITNs) and their dissemination; another £2.65 million is being spent on research into the diagnosis of malaria. We also support the work of social marketing groups in distributing ITNs.
ITNs are known to reduce malaria disease burden and death in households and is a key weapon in the fight against malaria. They are cheap, safe, easy to use and if used properly can last a long time, with the potential to decrease infant mortality rates by 20 per cent.
They have been a real success in countries like Malawi, where over 100,000 are sold each month.
Since 1997, DFID has committed £1.5 billion to support health systems strengthening globally.
2. Why doesn't DFID support the free distribution of insecticide-treated mosquito nets?
Actually, we do. We supply free
ITNs for the under-5s, pregnant women and for the very poorest and most
vulnerable in some countries.
For the period 2005-2007, we will spend over £13m on providing free ITNs in Africa alone, and in Mozambique we will invest more than £8m over the next 5 years to distribute nets to pregnant women and newborn babies.
But one size doesn't fit all. The Roll Back Malaria (RBM) Strategic Framework for insecticide-treated nets (ITNs) recognises that since there aren't the funds to provide free ITNs 'for everyone forever'; some form of prioritisation is necessary (at least in the short-term).
So the public sector focus is on these most vulnerable groups and those affected by disaster.
And there are other reasons why free nets for all isn't sustainable.
It can weaken local trade
First, there are concerns that providing free nets could inhibit or damage more sustainable local supply systems which improve uptake and which provide incomes for many poor people.
In fact, DFID is currently funding a project in Ghana
that gives vouchers to women for a heavy discount on nets that are available in the shops.
Thus the women may choose her net according to need whilst simultaneously
supporting local trade.
It doesn't improve distribution
Secondly, thanks to subsidies from DFID and its partners, buying a bednet is within the means of many poor people - there are indications that these people are likelier, having made a considered purchase from a trusted source, to use a bednet than if it is bestowed on them.
DFID is not against the free distribution of insecticide-treated mosquito nets, especially to children and pregnant women. But long-term goals and sustainability are our priority.
- Malaria
Journal: Subsidized sales of ITNs demonstrate feasibility of transition from
humanitarian aid towards sustainability
- PSI:
Targeted subsidy - building a net culture in Kenya
(304KB)
3. Social marketing - what is it and does it actually work?
Social marketing uses commercial marketing methods to promote health
products, services and behaviours, leading to improved health and other social
benefits. Also, it can be used to effectively deliver malaria prevention.
Social marketing is about health and self-help rather than financial profits - and evidence suggests that the commercial distribution systems it uses can be better at reaching the poor than projects.
We want to maximise the availability of products like ITNs by using social marketing to piggyback existing distribution infrastructure used by the commercial sector, public and private health facilities, and non-governmental organisations.
Doing this means that products such as bednets can be sold - in rural areas too - at subsidised rates to those who can afford to pay at least a little, encouraging people to take charge of their own health. This has proved a resounding success in Tanzania.
You might not know that most of the bednets owned in Africa are of commercial origin - the very poorest people are more likely to have acquired their nets through the market than from a project.
So, it's a proven method for getting health products into the hands of poor people.
- Cameroon:
The Role of Social Marketing in HIV/AIDS Prevention (World Bank)
- Impact of
social marketing programme in Zambia (PSI)
4. Do you fund research into malaria vaccines?
DFID's
research funding for malaria has been focused on finding treatments, rather than
vaccines. However, we have given funds to the UK's medical research council who have funded work on
trials of malaria vaccines in the Gambia.
DFID and the UK government remain committed to finding new treatments for malaria, and progress is being made.