Abstract
The target for malaria case management in Benin is to ensure that 100 percent of all fever cases receive a parasitological diagnosis, by microscopy or rapid diagnostic test (RDT), followed by appropriate treatment.
MALARIA SITUATION IN BENIN
Benin’s 2014 population was 10.6 million people, with an estimated growth of 3.5 percent per year1 . Children under 15 account for 42.5 percent of the total population. One hundred percent of the population is at risk for malaria and live in high endemic areas2 . Malaria is the leading cause of mortality among children under five; more than 40 percent of malaria cases in health centers occur in this age group3 .
MALARIA PREVALENCE
Malaria is endemic to Benin, with stable transmission throughout the country. Benin has three regions categorized by mosquito breeding and transmission patterns: the coastal region has heterogeneous transmission, the central region, where malaria is holoendemic, and the northern region where malaria is seasonal. Nationwide, malaria parasitemia prevalence with the P. falciparum (pf) parasite was 28 percent in 2011- 2012 among children under five. According to the Ministry of Health 2011 health report, malaria is the leading cause of child mortality, and the leading cause of adult morbidity3 .
NATIONAL TREATMENT GUIDELINES
The 2011-2018 Benin National Strategic Plan (NSP) recommends treatment after testing as part of effective case management at all levels of care.
Benin uses the Artemisinin-based Combination Therapy (ACT) Artemether Lumefantrine (AL) as the first-line treatments for uncomplicated malaria and Artesunate Amodiaquine (ASAQ) as the first-line treatment for children under six months and pregnant women. The NSP also promotes free access to Sulfadoxine Pyrimethamine (SP) for IPTp (intermittent preventive treatment in pregnancy) for malaria
