Cameroon: U.S. Ambassador Lamora Renews Commitment to Fighting Malaria

U.S. President’s Malaria Initiative (PMI) has invested more than FCFA 80 billion in Cameroon since 2017, resulting in a more than 35 per cent decrease in child death rates from malaria By Boris Esono Nwenfor [caption id="attachment_105962" align="alignnone" width="1024"] U.S. Ambassador to Cameroon Christopher John Lamora speaking during celebration of World Malaria Day on April 25. Picture by U.S. Embassy[/caption] BUEA, April 27, 2023 – U.S. Ambassador to Cameroon Christopher John Lamora says the United States will continue to support the Central African nation in the fight against malaria, the most widespread endemic disease in Cameroon, responsible for 2.7 million reported cases annually. Despite Cameroon’s continuous efforts, malaria remains an endemic disease in the country with 11,000 deaths every year.  Cameroon has made the fight against malaria a priority, as reflected in the Health Sector Strategy (2016-2027) and the 2019–2023 National Malaria Strategy. At the national level, the number of cases recorded in health facilities, stagnant since 2011, has shown an increasing trend since 2017. The number of deaths, after a downward trend over several years, went upward in 2017 and is now showing a small decrease since 2019. The Cameroon government has made the fight against malaria a priority, highlighting the country's Health Sector Strategy and the adoption of the High Burden High Impact (HBHI) stratification exercise in the National Malaria Strategic Plan. Minister of Public Health Manaouda Malachie declared that it is time to deliver “Zero Malaria: Innovate, Invest, implement” and recommended enduring investments for a malaria-free Cameroon. [caption id="attachment_105963" align="alignnone" width="1024"] The PMI initiative has provided seasonal Malaria Chemoprevention treatment to more than 2 million children annually and supported more than 75,800 trainings for health workers[/caption] Celebrating World Malaria Day in the nation’s political capital Yaounde on April 25, Ambassador John Lamora noted that U.S. President’s Malaria Initiative (PMI) has invested more than 80 billion CFA Franc in Cameroon since 2017, resulting in more than 35 per cent decrease in child death rates from malaria. Between 2017 and 2022, in collaboration with the National Malaria Control Program, the initiative has provided seasonal Malaria Chemoprevention treatment to more than 2 million children annually and supported more than 75,800 training for health workers on malaria-related service delivery, supply chain and surveillance, the U.S. Embassy said. In 2022, the U.S. government delivered more than 500,000 insecticide treated mosquito nets; nine million doses of seasonal malaria chemoprevention treatment; two million doses of Artemisinin-based combination treatments; and two million rapid diagnostic tests in the North and Far North regions, including funding for entomological surveillance at 15 sites in eight regions.  The PMI also supported the production of a national practical guide for health providers, which assisted in routine monitoring and improved malaria case management.