Diagnosing and treating children for malaria

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Malaria in Africa

Malaria currently accounts for 48% of deaths of children under five years of age in Burundi. It also accounts for 40% of consultations in health centres. However, it is estimated that only 31% of children with fever, which is the most common symptom of malaria, are treated with anti-malarial drugs.

Our charity work

Concern will equip community health workers with supplies of treatment for malaria diagnostic kits. This means that the diagnosis and treatment of malaria can be managed in the community for the first time in Burundi.

Where

The project will be implemented throughout three northern communities of Cibitoke Province, approximately one and half hours north of the capital city of Bujumbura.

How it works

The use of diagnostic kits by community health workers is a new and innovative approach. The kits will be used to test whether or not a child with fever has malaria. If the test is positive the health workers provide drugs for the treatment of malaria. If the test is negative the child is referred to the health centre for more rigorous clinical evaluation.

As part of this pilot project, Concern will explore and document the feasibility, challenges and benefits of this approach.

Budget

The budget for this project is €50,000.

What your support will do

This project will fund the following:

• Purchasing treatment for malaria and diagnostic kits so communities can monitor malaria cases for 40,000 children under five-years-old
• Training community health workers in the diagnosis, treatment and referral of children with fever

Outcome

The results of this project will be documented and presented to the Burundian Ministry of Health for consideration in the development of the new malaria policy.

It should lead to the lives of thousands of children being saved in the future.

• Read more about this project (pdf)

You can help

Interested in supporting this project? 

>> Email colm.dolan@concern.net