Helpdesk Report: Seasonal malaria chemoprevention (SMC) in Ghana
Across the Sahel sub-region, most childhood malaria mortality and morbidity occurs during the short rainy season
Abstract
Query
Gather the latest global evidence on the implementation and effectiveness of seasonal malaria chemoprevention (SMC) and make recommendations on how it could be most effectively implemented in Ghana.
Overview
Malaria remains a leading cause of global ill health, causing an estimated 216 million cases of clinical malaria and 655 thousand deaths in 2010, of which more than 85% of malaria cases and 90% of malaria deaths occurred in sub-Saharan Africa. Across the Sahel sub-region of sub-Saharan Africa, most childhood malaria mortality and morbidity occurs during the short rainy season. Giving effective malaria treatment at intervals during this period has been shown to prevent illness and death from malaria and is referred to as seasonal malaria chemoprevention (SMC). This intervention has been shown to be effective, cost-effective, safe, and feasible for the prevention of malaria among children less than 5 years of age in areas with highly seasonal malaria transmission.
The report covers the current guidelines for SMC, strategies for the delivery of SMC, potential public health impact of SMC in areas with and without current malaria control, impact of SMC on the effectiveness of malaria treatments, the prevalence and epidemiology of malaria in Ghana, and brief expert recommendations regarding the implementation of SMC in Ghana.
Citation
Foster, G.; Holley, C.; Thomson, S. Helpdesk Report: Seasonal malaria chemoprevention (SMC) in Ghana. Health and Education Advice and Resource Team (HEART), Oxford, UK (2013) 18 pp.
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