Malaria Prevention Strategies in South Sudan

Abstract

The whole of South Sudan is endemic for malaria, with high transmission in the country throughout the year. Malaria is the leading cause of illness and death in children under five years. In 2019, the malaria incidence (all ages) was estimated at 246 per 1,000 populations (239 per 1,000 for children under-five -years) representing 5,067,464 cases. Vector control is a key intervention for malaria prevention with Insecticide Treated Nets (ITN) being the main method used by the population. Chemoprevention for malaria for pregnant women is mainly administered through ante-natal clinics. Seasonal malaria chemoprevention is a new strategy that South Sudan has just piloted in Yambio. By 2014-2019, 6,397,512 ITNs had been distributed. However, the 2017 Malaria Indicator Survey showed that only about 41.7% of children aged under five years had slept under an ITN the previous night, and that only 27% of households owned at least one ITN for every two people. There has been increases in the percentage of pregnant mothers receiving 2 doses of Intermittent Preventive Treatment in Pregnancy (IPTp2). It is recommended that the Ministry of Health train entomologists and technicians for vector surveillance, and that the National Malaria Programme conduct entomological surveillance and insecticide resistance monitoring and create stratification maps using entomological data.

Key words: malaria prevention, South Sudan, Insecticide Treated Net (ITN), vector control, Intermittent Preventive Treatment in  Pregnancy (IPTp).