Family Health > Success Stories

Large-Scale Malaria Prevention through Mass Campaigns.

For the first time, the Benin Ministry of Health and its partners undertook a national campaign in October 2007 to prevent malaria, one of the primary causes of morbidity and mortality among children under 5 and pregnant women in Benin. The goal of the campaign was to ensure that 80% of children under 5 sleep under an insecticide-treated bed-net. The USAID-funded Integrated Family Health Program (PISAF) played a major role in rolling out this campaign.

Insecticide treated nets, when used properly, can significantly reduce morbidity and mortality from malaria in individuals, as well as reduce the overall transmission of malaria in communities when a majority of the population sleeps under a net. According to the 2006 Benin Demographic and Health Survey (DHS), only 33% of children under five and 32% of pregnant women had slept under an insecticide-treated net the previous night.

To assist the Ministry of Health in planning the campaign, PISAF organized a pilot distribution in one health zone in the Department of Zou/Collines. Thousands of women and their children lined up early in the day to collect their bed-nets, some of them traveling long distances on foot to reach the distribution points. This pilot demonstrated that awareness of the benefits of bed-nets in preventing malaria was widespread and that lack of access to bed-nets appeared to be the main limiting factor.

During the national campaign sponsored by the Ministry of Health, USAID, the World Bank, UNICEF and WHO, PISAF oversaw the distribution of 211,210 long-lasting insecticide-treated nets, 278,000 vitamin A capsules, and 278,000 Albendazole tablets across the 6 health zones in Zou and Collines, through 720 distribution points. Trained workers at each post managed the crowd of beneficiaries, tallied up and marked beneficiaries as they arrived, administered vitamin A, administered Albendazole, handed out bed-nets, and demonstrated to a group of women the proper use of the bed-net. Workers also were available to explain the benefits of the three products to the women. Demonstration bed-nets were set up at each distribution point.

PISAF carried out informational activities in the communities in support of both the mini-campaign and the national campaign. Theater troupes received training to develop appropriate messages through role plays. The troupes fanned out across the region and held performances in village squares, always followed by educational chat sessions where participants share the lessons they learned with the actors, as well as the changes they plan to adopt with their families. These chat sessions also serve to measure the impact of the performance and the level of acceptance of the messages.

The original approach implemented by Medical Care Development International (MCDI), Mères - Visas (women nominated by the community awareness and distribution of health) has led to a change in behavior of people in the prevention of malaria by showing them the need to use treated mosquito nets. Through the partnership established between the two organizations funded by USAID, Population Services International (PSI - Benin) provides MCDI with the bed nets, which are sold at reduced cost to the people.

Meanwhile, town criers and local radio stations appeared to have been effective in advertising the bed-net campaign itself. In a small survey carried out during supervision visits (a sample of 28 mothers), 68% cited that town criers had been their primary source of information about the campaign, and an additional 39% cited radio messages. Mothers were also asked to explain their understanding of the purpose of the nets. Among the 20 mothers who responded, all of them understood that the nets were intended for children under five, and that they protect against mosquito bites and hence malaria.

Aside from the large number of beneficiaries reached by the bed-net campaign, PISAF's approach also fostered strong collaboration of national and local stakeholders including the Ministry of Defense, the Ministry of Social Affairs, administrative leaders, village chiefs and traditional leaders; strong supervision at all levels; and effective radio and town crier awareness campaigns.

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