Authors: Ruth A Ashton, Busiku Hamainza, Chris Lungu, Marie-Reine I Rutagwera, Travis Porter, Adam Bennett, Michael Hainsworth, Sarah Burnett, Kafula Silumbe, Hannah Slater, Thomas P Eisele, John M Miller
The goal of this study was to explore associations between changing malaria service point (health facility or CHW) density per 1,000 people and severe malaria admissions or malaria inpatient deaths by district and month. A retrospective, observational study was conducted in Zambia between January 2015 and May 2020 using existing routine and programmatic data. Results demonstrated that total CHWs increased from 43 to 4503 during the study period, while health facilities increased from 1263 to 1765. After accounting for covariates, an increase of one malaria service point per 1,000 people was associated with a 19% reduction in severe malaria admissions and a 23% reduction in malaria deaths among children under five. These findings suggest that community case management of malaria (CCM) via community service points is an effective strategy for preventing severe malaria and deaths in countries such as Zambia, where malaria diagnosis and treatment access remain challenging. Considering this, researchers call for continued investment in CCM scale-up across similar settings to improve access to malaria diagnosis and treatment while alleviating CHW workload.
Link: Effectiveness of community case management of malaria on severe malaria and inpatient malaria deaths in Zambia: a dose-response study using routine health information system data
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Resource Topic: CHW, Community Case Management, Malaria
Resource Type: Research
Year: 2023
Region: Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA)
Country: Zambia
Publisher May Restrict Access: No