Malaria campaign underway in Democratic Republic of Congo

Eva Gilliam, UNICEF

© UNICEF video

Workers load insecticide-treated bed nets onto barges in Kinshasa, DRC. The nets are being transported up the Congo River for distribution to remote regions of the country.

UNICEF's Eva Gilliam reports on a campaign to distribute millions of bed nets throughout DRC.

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KISANGANI, Democratic Republic of the Congo (October 5, 2009) — Mikala Mobanda's son, age four, has been suffering from fever and lack of appetite for several days. He is lethargic and complains of pain. In this area of DRC's Province Orientale—where malaria is endemic and nearly every child will contract it—there is little doubt of the diagnosis.

The child is tested and treated with anti–malarial drugs. He should be better in about a week. Unfortunately, the chances are high that he will return to the health center within a month's time.

Health experts estimate that each child under five years of age in DRC has 6 to 10 attacks of malaria per year. This is equivalent to as many as 100 million episodes, or even more, annually. Approximately 180,000 Congolese children under five die from the disease every year, and many others are orphaned when malaria weakens and kills their parents.

Prevention is a challenge

In communities such as Orientale, local hospitals and health centers must keep up with a constant stream of malaria cases.

Leon Faliala, a nurse at the Umoja Health Center on the outskirts of Orientale's capital, Kisangani, treats many patients each day. He says that prevention efforts here are necessary but difficult to implement.

"We try to encourage people to use mosquito nets and clear stagnant water from their homes, but it is hard," said Faliala. "Nets cost money, and in the rainy season, who can control the water?"

A huge undertaking

© UNICEF DR Congo/2009

Barges loaded with nets prepare to leave Kinshasa for Kisangani, as part of a massive campaign to distribute the anti–malarial nets throughout DRC.

With the rainy season just days away, UNICEF, along with partners including UNITAID and the World Food Program, is mobilizing the distribution of some 5.5 million mosquito bed nets in DRC. Each has been treated with insecticide and can help reduce the risk of contracting malaria for those who sleep under them at night.

The operation hopes to reach each household with three nets.

"This is an emotional moment for us," said UNICEF Representative in DRC Pierrette Vu Thi. "It is a huge undertaking, with serious logistical challenges, and now it is happening."

Logistical challenge

On September 18, eight massive barges left Kinshasa for Orientale and Maniema Provinces, carrying about 2.2 million bed nets. But distribution poses a serious logistical challenge. Province Orientale alone is the size of Spain and has few roads.

"The weather is a big factor," said Pierre Singa, a Congolese sailor who is helping to push the barges upriver. "There can be breakdowns, and even capsizing or sinking."

UNICEF and local partners are preparing to work at the household level to ensure proper distribution and use of bed nets after they reach Kisangani.

The mission is worth it

While treated bed nets will not totally eradicate malaria, they will greatly reduce the risks to children. Evidence suggests that sleeping under insecticide-treated nets, when consistently and correctly used, can save 6 child lives per year for every 1,000 children sleeping under them.

"We feel that this mobilization and distribution of treated bed nets can make a real difference," said Vu Thi.

"The mission is worth it," added Singa. "I feel like I am doing something for my people, helping them fight malaria."