Civil society organisations under the Civil Society for Malaria Elimination (CS4ME) have called on African leaders and policymakers to prioritise malaria interventions and ensure stronger community involvement in the fight against the disease.
Ahead of World Malaria Day 2022, the group urged governments to move beyond a purely medical approach to malaria control and adopt a multi-sectoral strategy that considers social, economic, cultural and gender-related factors affecting communities.
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CS4ME called for greater attention to vulnerable groups, including refugees, internally displaced persons, people living in rural and conflict-affected areas, pregnant women and children under five years, who often face difficulties accessing quality malaria prevention and treatment services.
The organisation noted that despite progress made in malaria control, challenges such as limited access to affordable medicines, inadequate distribution of mosquito nets, weak community engagement and increasing resistance to insecticides and antimalarial drugs remained major concerns.
It also stressed the importance of involving local civil society organisations and communities in designing and implementing malaria programmes to ensure sustainability and better outcomes.
CS4ME further called for increased investment in research and development, including efforts to make effective malaria vaccines available and accessible to children in affected communities.
The group appealed to African governments to increase domestic funding for malaria, tuberculosis and HIV programmes, improve support for community health workers, and strengthen health systems to achieve malaria elimination goals.
World Malaria Day 2022 was observed under the theme “Harness innovation to reduce the malaria disease burden and save lives.”
