Malaria in Senegal
Malaria in Senegal
Kaolack is a town in Medina Baye, Senegal with about 170,000 people on the North Bank of the Saloum River. It is the capital of the Kaolack Region, which borders Gambia to the south. While the number of reported malaria cases has decreased in recent years, malaria is still a major cause of morbidity and mortality, and a priority for the Senegalese government. Malaria is endemic throughout Senegal, and the entire population is at risk. Vulnerable groups comprise of about 2.2 million children under five and 0.5 million pregnant women.
What the Experts are Saying
"With a child dying from malaria every two minutes and the threat of drug resistance growing year-on-year, there is a real urgency to step up global efforts to combat this disease," said Joseph Jimenez, CEO of Novartis (http://www.novartis.com). In 2015 alone there were an estimated 214 million new cases of malaria and 438,000 deaths. Millions of people are still not accessing the services they need to prevent and treat malaria (World Malaria Report, 2015). Additionally, a startling and troublesome fact is that the malaria parasite is demonstrating emergence resistance to current therapies (www.novartis.com).
Cisse Niass Malaria Program’s Objectives
Cisse Niass Malaria Program (CNMP) plans to provide 2,000 insecticide-treated anti-malaria nets annually for children and vulnerable adults in Kaolack and Kahone as part of its mission. Many Senegalese cannot afford medical services. Instead, they purchase anti-malaria medicine from the private sector, local market stores, and drugstores, where they often purchase substandard or bogus medicines because they are affordable. This is particularly true for people living in urban areas, townships, and remote rural villages. CNMP plans to work with the CDC, USAID, and other organizations to help improve access to medicines, including anti-malaria medicine, and purchase insecticide-treated bed nets which will be distributed at our clinic in Kaolack, Senegal.
We believe that working together we can transform the health, well-being and livelihood of millions of people around the globe starting in Kahone and Kaolack, Senegal.
To learn more about malaria or reach out to Cisse Niass Project, please visit cisseniassproject.org
