Malaria is one of the most devastating global public health problems. There are about 300 to 500 million cases of malaria each year with nearly 90 per cent occurring in Africa. An estimated 3,000 children die every day from it. Malaria also contributes to anaemia in children and undermines their growth and development. It is a primary cause of poverty slowing economic growth by 1.3 per cent in Africa alone. This is a disease that kills the poor, young and vulnerable, and affects the future of many developing countries.

The International Federation’s malaria programme

The programme is supported by the International Federation’s annual malaria appeal which aims at funding four types of interventions:

Niger: bed net distribution More than two million mosquito nets were distributed to children under five in Niger during the 2005-2006 National Polio Immunization Days. The International Federation estimates that its Niger campaign will save the lives of 40,000 children in the first year alone. The 3,800 Niger Red Cross volunteers played an important role in making the mosquito net campaign a success. Volunteers went to the remotest villages and households to explain how malaria is transmitted and how important it is to hang and use the nets. See our Niger photo gallery, April 2006. See our Niger photo gallery, December 2005.

Our achievements

Successful funding of the International Federation’s malaria appeals has enabled the National Societies to join in partnerships to pioneer the innovative approach of large-scale free distribution of LLINs during mass vaccination programmes. Here are some key facts:

• 15,000 LLINs distributed during a measles campaign in one district in Ghana to prove the concept of integration in 2002
• 90,000 LLINs also distributed along with measles vaccinations, in five districts in Zambia to test going to scale in 2003
• 875,000 LLINs distributed during the 2004 nationwide measles campaign in Togo
• 2.3 million LLINs distributed in Niger during the December 2005 and April 2006, polio national immunization days

The International Federation appeal funds have enabled National Societies to assist in the distribution of LLINs in special situations as a complement to large scale distribution efforts. These include:

• 50,000 LLINs for Equatorial Guinea through UNICEF in 2004 with the National Society providing community education and assistance
• 122,000 LLINS to Malawi in 2005-2006 for distribution through routine services to pregnant women and in infant vaccination clinics in collaboration with the Ministry of Health, the College of Medicine, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Malawi Red Cross Society
• 10,000 LLINs for a refugee camp in Chad in 2006 and 15,000 LLINs in Cambodia for distribution through a Red Cross child health programme
• 28,000 LLINs distributed to 14 HIV/AIDS home-based care and orphan projects in nine sub-saharan countries as part of a larger partnership with the World Swim for Malaria (WSM) charitable foundation
• 440,000 LLINs to Sierra Leone as part of the Canadian Red Cross-funded national LLIN distribution (875,000 LLINs) during the 2006 measles campaign

The main delivery mechanism for the distribution of LLINs is the highly successful Measles Initiative Partnership, into which LLIN distribution is integrated into the planning, logistics, and implementation of national vaccination campaigns. Other LLIN delivery mechanisms are polio vaccination campaigns and home-based HIV/AIDS home visiting programmes.

The added value of the International Federation

In addition to the provision of free LLINs, the Federation’s other important contributions include:

• community social mobilization and house-to-house visits before, during, and after distribution of LLINs
• manpower to provide additional support and assistance during the massive vaccination and distribution campaigns
• procurement, shipping and logistics for LLINs from factory to in-country distribution points

Working to achieve the Millennium Development Goals Programmes, like the one in Niger, play a vital role in achieving the UN’s Millennium Development Goal to reduce child mortality by two-thirds by 2015. Such programmes complement the International Federation’s progress on addressing food shortages, including feeding centres for children, water and sanitation projects, and health education.

A new global model – Keep-up

The International Federation in association with the Togo Red Cross pioneered and developed a post-campaign three-year programme whereby community volunteers conduct monthly house-to-house visits to ensure that households hang and use nets correctly.

This civil society participation is critical to ensure that campaign investments contribute to malaria control and impact. Because ministries of health and health workers cannot reach far beyond their health centres, community volunteers are filling an important behaviour change communication gap in their communities.

The International Federation’s keep-up programmes are typically funded for three years after a major distribution campaign. Keep-up programmes are currently funded in Togo, Mozambique, Kenya, and Sierra Leone. Recognizing the importance of post campaign follow-up, other agencies are adopting and funding a similar strategy in other countries.

How we use our funds – global alliances

The International Federation’s annual appeal for malaria funds aims at pooling resources from a number of donors in order to scale up malaria interventions in a cost efficient manner and to demonstrate disease impact. To achieve this, the International Federation works with global partners to identify candidate recipient countries. The International Federation’s contributions are intended to fill gaps and make an important difference in country programmes. The International Federation’s efforts are fully integrated and in harmony with global malaria partners including Roll Back Malaria (RBM), UNICEF, the Global Fund for AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria (GFATM), the UN Foundation (UNF), the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the World Swim for Malaria Charitable Foundation and many others.

Impact achieved to date

It is estimated that over 98,700 child deaths have been averted as a result of the distribution of more than 3.7 million LLINs procured by the International Federation from December 2002 through December 2005.

An estimated 221,931 deaths are estimated to be averted as a result of 2006 LLIN distribution activities. The International Federation provided support to partners for procurement, in-country logistics, manpower for campaigns and community social mobilization. Together with other partners (USAID, GFATM, Exxon-Mobil, CIDA/Canadian Red Cross, WHO, UNICEF) more than 7.9 million LLINs were distributed in Angola, Rwanda, Kenya, Uganda, and Sierra Leone.

An extensive network

The International Federation's extensive network gives it several comparative advantages in the prevention and control of communicable diseases in general and malaria specifically at the local level. With over 100 million volunteers worldwide including 2 million in Africa, the Red Cross and Red Crescent is able to reach those communities most vulnerable to the disease.

The International Federation uses its experience in implementing other community-based public health programmes like first aid, tuberculosis, HIV/AIDS and other health care programmes to introduce malaria control initiatives. The International Federation collaborates closely with national ministries of health and fill identified gaps to complement government's efforts.

Malaria's global grip Between 300 million and 500 million acute cases of malaria are reported each year - 9 out of 10 of them occur in sub-Saharan Africa. Malaria transmission areas Areas where malaria has been largely eliminated

Reports and publications

	International Federation Malaria - Africa Health Initiative, Report 2006-2007 (358 Kb, 10 pages)
	National integrated child survival campaign follow-up survey, Sierra Leone, January 2007 (13 Mb, 6 pages)
	Economic evaluation of the Togo integrated child health campaign 2004 (383 Kb, 67 pages)
	Final results from Niger's second national malaria survey, 2006 (1 Mb, 57 pages)
	The Red Cross and Red Crescent Malaria Keep-Up programme: Concept paper (598 kb, 16 pages)
	The Global Fund for AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria (GFATM) Niger Project - Annual report NGR 405 G03M (July 2005 - June 2006) (400 kb, 26 pages)
	Togo burden of malaria disease in children under 5 years of age, 2006 (368 kb, 8 pages)
	Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Review (MMWR) - Distribution of insecticide - Treated bednets during a polio immunization campaign (Niger 2005) (210 kb, 6 pages)
	WHO Weekly Epidemiologic Record (WER) - Nationwide distribution of insecticide-treated bednets during a child immunization campaign (Togo, December 2005) (204 kb, 12 pages)
	Zambia case study - Integrated measles-malaria campaign, 2004 (545 kb, 22 pages)