Evaluation of the free antimalarial treatment in children under five years and pregnant women in Sikasso region, Mali

Abstract

Objective: In 2010, Mali introduced Artemisinin-based Combination Therapy for malaria treatment free in children under 5 years and pregnant women. Despite the efforts of the National Malaria Control Program, malaria remains a major endemic disease in Mali, and particularly in the Sikasso region. This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of free malaria management in children and pregnant women during routine consultation in Sikasso. Method and materials: This study was conducted between March 2018 and February 2020 in the community health and district of Sikasso. A questionnaire was used for data collection and entered to Microsoft Excel 2010. The statistical software SPSS v21 was used for data analysis. Results: The rapid diagnostic test was performed in 78.7% of children. This proportion was 18.9% among pregnant women received during in prenatal consultation. Antimalarial drugs were available for malaria cases management among children in 99.1%. The prescription of antimalarial drugs was appropriate in 97.5% among children and 99.6% for pregnant women. Conclusion: Overall, the new malaria management protocol is well followed in children and pregnant women. However, efforts must be made to be ensure the availability of the inputs during the transmission season.