Located in the heart of Douala, the largest city in Cameroon, the Douala General Hospital is a sentinel of hope for the masses. As the region’s largest medical facility, it is dedicated to the fight against malaria, a disease that now takes a heavy toll on health systems around the world.
Success Stories
As part of the Round 9 Global Fund project, funded by the Ministry of Health and the Central African Red Cross, the hospital embarked on a project aimed at reducing the prevalence of malaria in children under five years old . The goals were ambitious: improve case management and treatment through better diagnosis and treatment-seeking behaviors.
Thanks to the unwavering dedication of the staff, the results have been nothing short of remarkable. According to figures released in 2022, active case detection increased from an average of 10 to 15 cases per week before the intervention to a remarkable 50 cases per week after the intervention. Malaria-related infant mortality rates have also declined significantly.
Treatment-seeking behaviors
One of the most promising aspects of this project has been the improvement in treatment-seeking behaviors within local communities. In the post-intervention period, health workers and community volunteers launched a large-scale campaign targeting mothers of children under five. Key messages about seeking treatment early and fully adhering to treatment have resonated, leading to a significant increase in the number of children seeking treatment within the first hour of starting treatment.
Community health workers, the key to success
The training and support provided to community health workers (CHWs) was a crucial element in the success of this project. Skilled in recognizing symptoms and equipped with thermometers and rapid diagnostic tests, CHWs were able to not only detect but also accelerate the treatment of affected children in their communities, thereby stopping the spread of the disease.
Next steps
Despite the substantial progress made, the road ahead still presents several challenges. Address inadequate infrastructure within the hospital to accommodate large numbers of malaria patients; increase case management capacity; and overcoming the long-standing problem of insufficient public funding remain daunting tasks ahead.
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