Malaria is the most common life-threatening infection in the world and is responsible for over a million deaths a year. However, the WHO’s World Malaria Report 2009 found that an increase in international funding has produced a dramatic rise in efforts to control malaria—and measurable reductions in the disease—in several countries. The full report can be read here.

IntraHealth is part of the fight against malaria, with prevention and treatment programs in Kenya, Mali, Rwanda, and Senegal. Almost 90% of malaria cases occur in sub-Saharan Africa, and the majority of the deaths are among children under the age of five. IntraHealth’s programs aim to reach the most vulnerable populations: young children, as well as pregnant women and people living with HIV.

IntraHealth uses insecticide-treated bed nets, indoor residual spraying, and intermittent preventive treatment—along with strategies for home-based management of malaria and integration of malaria services with other types of health care—to reduce the number of malaria cases and create sustainable prevention and treatment options for people affected by the disease.  

More information on IntraHealth’s malaria work is available on the country pages linked above, as well as on the following project pages:

• Capacity Kenya
• Mobilize against Malaria (Senegal)
• Twubakane Decentralization and Health Program (Rwanda)