Preventing And Treating Malaria

Health providers at Masaka Health Center in Rwanda breathed a collective sigh of relief last year when they did not see a deluge of malaria patients testing the capacity of their health facility.

Sister Scholastic, a nurse in charge of childhood illness, credits a program introduced by IntraHealth International which trains volunteers at the community level to identify and manage malaria outbreaks in their districts. Working in close collaboration with health centers, these volunteers provide information, support early management and detection of malaria and distribute anti-malarial medications. They also detect other illnesses in children under five.

From July 2006 to February 2007, health care workers in four health centers in the Kicukiro District treated a total of 4,848 children under the age of five and referred about 291 children to health facilities.   All but two of these children were cured.

Malaria kills more than a million people per year; 90 percent of those who die are African children. 

IntraHealth is committed to preventing malaria infections globally.  You can help us address the root problem of inadequate health care by supporting our work that builds the capacity of countries to provide quality health care now and in the future.