The government of the United States of America (USA) has provided 17 million dollars (16 million euros) on Monday August 28. “Every net delivered, every test performed, every life saved is a testament to the US government’s commitment to building healthier, more resilient and malaria-free communities in Mozambique,” explained Helen Pataki, mission director of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), quoted in a press release.
The Malaria Prevention Program will last five years and aims to reduce the prevalence of the disease in Manica, Zambézia, Nampula and Cabo Delgado, provinces that “register the highest rates of malaria” in Mozambique, in addition to strengthening the capacity of local organizations in the fight against the disease, the document says.
The US initiative will also “promote the use of insecticide-treated nets, teach how to care for and maintain nets, encourage parents to treat children with fever and promote preventive treatment of malaria in pregnancy”.
Mozambique recorded 210 deaths due to malaria in the first half of this year, a quarter less than in the same period in 2022, at a time when the country is preparing for vaccination against the disease, the director of the National Program to Combat Malaria, Baltazar Candrinho, announced last week.