The United States government, through the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), marked a significant milestone in the fight against malaria in Nigeria as it celebrated the achievements of the VectorLink project over the past five years.
This $7.8 million project, implemented in collaboration with the government of Nigeria, has played a crucial role in the surveillance of malaria-causing parasites and monitoring insecticide resistance across the country.
In 2021, malaria claimed the lives of approximately 619,000 individuals worldwide, representing a 12 percent increase from the previous year. The disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic contributed to many of these additional deaths. Among those most affected by the disease are young children and pregnant women. Nigeria, with almost a quarter (23 per cent) of the world’s malaria cases and a mortality rate of 31 per cent, faces a significant malaria burden. Furthermore, widespread insecticide resistance in major malaria vectors poses a threat to the effectiveness of available control measures, including mosquito nets.
Since 2006, the United States President’s Malaria Initiative (PMI) has made substantial efforts to protect millions of people in Africa from malaria by deploying insecticide-treated bed nets and indoor residual spraying. These interventions target the mosquitoes responsible for transmitting malaria by applying insecticide to indoor resting places such as walls and ceilings. In September 2017, the United States reaffirmed its commitment to combat this deadly disease by launching the five-year PMI VectorLink Project in Nigeria.
Through the PMI VectorLink Project, Nigeria has been equipped to plan and implement safe, cost-effective, and sustainable malaria vector control interventions, including indoor residual spraying. The ultimate goal is to reduce the burden of malaria in the country.
Over the period from January 2022 to the present, the VectorLink project has played a critical role in ensuring the distribution of more than 21 million insecticide-treated nets in eight states: Nasarawa, Rivers, Kebbi, Sokoto, Akwa Ibom, Ebonyi, Bauchi and Cross River. These distributed bed nets are estimated to protect over 42 million Nigerians from malaria.
During the event held on Thursday, PMI resident advisor Jules Mihigo expressed USAID’s commitment to continue supporting the national malaria control programme through PMI, particularly in the area of vector control. He thanked the National Malaria Elimination Programme for its unwavering leadership and commended the diligent work of partners at VectorLink over the past five years.
As the VectorLink project nears its conclusion, USAID-PMI remains dedicated to supporting the National Malaria Elimination Programme through the upcoming PMI-Evolve project, set to begin on August 1, 2023. PMI-Evolve will focus on building the capacity of communities to understand, accept and sustain the use of vector control interventions to reduce mosquito bites and combat the burden of malaria. The United States government reaffirms its commitment to the fight against malaria in Nigeria and looks forward to continued collaboration with all stakeholders in this critical endeavour.
