According to a study conducted by the Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal), community health workers can make a great difference in saving thousands of maternal and infant lives. They can increase the number of pregnant women who receive life-saving preventive anti-malaria treatment. The study was conducted in four sub-Saharan African countries by ISGlobal, an institution that is supported by “la Caixa” Foundation. The findings, which was published in The Lancet Global Health journal, will help to guide malaria control strategies in pregnant women and improve maternal and infant health in malaria-endemic countries.
Malaria puts the health of both mother and child at risk if she contracts it during pregnancy. An estimated 11.6 million pregnancies in Africa were exposed to malaria infection in 2020. The cases resulted in 11 percent of neonatal deaths and 20 percent of stillbirths that year. Because of this, the World Health Organization (WHO) recommends that pregnant women receive three doses of the anti-malarial drug sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine (SP) during their antenatal visits if they live in areas with high to moderate malaria transmission.
The study used an innovative, community-based approach.
Despite this recommendation, the proportion of eligible women receiving this intermittent preventive treatment (IPTp) remains unacceptably low in many countries. The Unitaid-funded TIPTOP project (Transforming Intermittent Preventive Treatment for Optimal Pregnancy) took an innovative “no missed opportunity” approach to increase IPTp coverage. Community health workers, who have been shown to improve the uptake of health interventions such as childhood immunizations, were used. The project was co-led by Jhpiego and Clara Menéndez, Director of ISGlobal’s Maternal, Child and Reproductive Health Initiative.
This implementation science project took place in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Madagascar, Mozambique and Nigeria between 2017 and 2022. The WHO and Medicines Malaria Venture collaborated throughout the project life. According to Raquel González, TIPTOP senior epidemiologist and lead author of the study, “This study is the largest implementation project carried out in collaboration with the countries’ ministries of health, in which we simultaneously evaluated the impact of community health workers on IPTp coverage and antenatal care attendance.”
Community worker’s intervention increased prevention significantly.
In the project, community health workers identified pregnant women in the community, provided the required SP doses to eligible women and referred them to the health facility for antenatal care. More than 18,000 women participated in 32 household surveys over three years to assess IPTp coverage before, during, and after the community-based delivery approach. The results show that IPTp coverage increased significantly after the community-based implementation in all study countries. Coverage increased from 133.6 percent in Madagascar to 473 percent in Nigeria, where coverage increased from 12.7 percent to 31.8 percent.
Notedly, the approach did not reduce antenatal care attendance. On the contrary, it increased slightly in most study areas. “These results are robust and will help to inform malaria control strategies,” Clara Menéndez says. Approximately 10,000 pregnant women and 200,000 of their newborns die each year from malaria. It means that increasing IPTp uptake through community health workers can save thousands of maternal and infant lives in African countries. These community workers can not only penetrate remote communities but also gain their trust because of familiarity.
TIPTOP director delighted at the difference made.
The project director of TIPTOP, Elaine Roman, said, “We’re delighted to see these community-led approaches making a difference in the lives of thousands of pregnant women. Beyond achieving targets, TIPTOP has underscored the critical role community health workers play in supporting the health of women, where they live.” She said that this offers promise and opportunity well beyond the life of project and it provides a sustainable and trustworthy pathway to improve the health of women across a range of challenges.
Related Link
Barcelona Institute of Global Health: Website
Health workers can save lives from malaria. – Many maternal and infant lives saved by community workers. – Express your point of view.
The health workers can do everything possible to see that Malaria is tackled and stopped. We should be able to treat malaria and stop it from killing people.
The malaria sickness is a very big problem facing the Africa country and most of the international community are really trying in helping to reduce the effect on the populace by providing lots of net and malaria drugs free of charge to people.
Malaria has killed my people in Nigeria. Health workers should do more and put in all necessary things needed to reduce malaria in Nigeria
Health worker are the one that can save us from health issue health workers are doing well in fighting malaria we should do well and protect people from malaria necessary means should be used
Malaria is a sickness we should take serious and not neglect it the health work are doing great work saving people lives from malaria the rate of malaria should be reduced
Nothing is impossible, with adequate measure from the health workers am sure any illness or infection can be cured.
The effect of malaria can only be sever me when left untreated. With the help of health workers we can overcome this.
The effect malaria poses is dangerous if a mother contracts it during pregnancy. Health worker should put efforts together and do everything they are capable of doing to save both the mother and the child.
Severe malaria during pregnancy is much more critical because it will be two life’s in danger. I pray it doesn’t happen to us.
Medics have the resources to make every effort to combat and eradicate Malaria. Malaria is curable, so its devastating effects on human life should be halted.
I’m glad that we used health workers from the community since they helped increase the number of people who participated in preventative health measures like getting their kids immunised.
Community health workers’ influence on IPTp coverage and antenatal care attendance in this large-scale implementation project conducted in partnership which will help our society.
We should treat malaria seriously and not ignore it. Malaria mortality rates should be lowered notwithstanding the wonderful effort being done by the health sector to save lives from the disease.
Malaria has always been a challenge for Nigeria. The health workers in the communities have been doing a great job by saving lives; Pregnant women, infants and the rest.
The decision made by the government and several health groups to employ this method was a very astute one. Because of their knowledge with the area, these community workers are able to not only access rural areas but also earn the residents’ trust.
This step offers hope and potential much beyond the duration of the study and provides a reliable means of boosting women’s health in the face of numerous threats.
We must not dismiss Malaria as a legitimate health threat. Health workers are doing an incredible job of preventing malaria and its deadly effects.
The health workers can help in saving lives from malaria if they are very active at work and ensuring that the pregnant woman and the child had the correct dose of malaria drugs.
There will be reduction in pregnancy and child mortality rate if healthcare givers can be administering proper malaria drug dosage to the pregnant woman and also ensuring that they are well taking care of.