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Research &Universal Coverage Bill Brieger | 18 Aug 2013 08:24 am

Research on Universal Coverage: the malaria examples

whr-2013-sm.jpgThe World Health Report 2013 entitled Research for Universal Health Coverage has been released. Since universal coverage has been a central Roll Back Malaria target since 2009, we have included below some of the mentions of studies and activities around malaria service provision and scaling-up.

The case for investing in research is made, in part, by demonstrating that scientific investigations really do produce results that can be translated into accessible and affordable health services that provide benefits for health… In one (example) a systematic review of survey data from 22 African countries showed how the use of insecticide-treated mosquito nets was associated with fewer malaria infections and lower mortality in young children. This evidence underlines the value of scaling up and maintaining coverage of insecticide-treated nets in malaria-endemic areas. (page xiv)

(Environmental risk factors) also contribute to the transmission of vector-borne diseases: malaria is associated with policies and practices on land use, deforestation, water resource management, settlement siting and house design. (Page 41).

By killing or repelling mosquitoes, insecticide-treated bed nets protect the individuals sleeping under them from malaria. By killing mosquitoes, they should also reduce malaria transmission in the community. Randomized controlled trials conducted in sub-Saharan Africa in a range of malaria endemic settings have provided robust evidence of the efficacy of ITNs in reducing malaria parasite prevalence and incidence and all-cause child mortality. Such trials showed that ITNs can reduce Plasmodium falciparum prevalence among children younger than five years of age by 13% and malaria deaths by 18%. (page 61)

(More research is needed because) In contrast with the findings of controlled trials, ITNs may be less effective in routine use because the insecticidal effect wears off, or nets may be used inappropriately or become damaged. The impact of ITNs, as used routinely, on malaria and childhood mortality is therefore uncertain.  (page 62)

As we can see from the World Health Report, malaria research has made a major contribution to our understanding of factors and effects of scaling up programs to try to achieve universal coverage.  As WHO recommends, more funding for health service coverage is needed, and malaria countries countries themselves need to contribute their own share in supporting their own research institutions.

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