A massive increase in malaria cases in Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is overwhelming existing prevention and treatment efforts and demands an urgent and stepped-up response, Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) said today on World Malaria Day.

DRC © Gijs Van Gassen/MSF
A child gets his finger pricked as part of a rapid test to diagnose malaria. MSF teams have been travelling to remote regions of DRC treating outbreaks of malaria.

Most of MSF’s health centres and hospitals in DRC have observed a marked increase in malaria cases, including in its severe form. In six provinces (half of the vast country), the number of people treated for malaria in MSF projects increased more than 250 per cent since 2009. This outbreak is particularly alarming due to the high number of severe malaria patients requiring hospitalization and urgent blood transfusions due to malaria-induced anemia. Faced with such a wide-scale crisis, MSF is unable to respond alone, the organization announced.

"It is rare to see such a large proportion of patients with severe malaria," said Jorgen Stassijns, a physician and a malaria specialist with MSF. "But treatment outside the cities remains especially weak, due to unaffordability or geographic inaccessibility. In some areas healthcare is simply non-existent. Even when treatment is available, the drugs are sometimes inadequate or outdated," he said.

In response to the massive outbreak, MSF has deployed additional emergency medical teams in four provinces in DRC. In 2009, MSF teams treated more than 45,000 people who had malaria. In 2011, more than 158,000 people were treated. So far this year, more than 85,000 people have been treated.

DRC © Robin Meldrum/MSF
Malaria treatment for a child in the pediatric ward of Niangara hospital in DRC. The crucial pill is the white tablet, which treats malaria. The others are for reducing symptoms such as fever.

While the exact causes of the outbreak remain uncertain, this new crisis is unfolding in the context of a health system sorely lacking resources at all levels. The country lacks adequate medicines, medical supplies, and properly trained medical personnel. Malaria prevention and screening systems are deficient.

In North Kivu and South Kivu provinces, and recently in the northern area in Katanga province, ongoing insecurity and renewed fighting also prevent people from obtaining healthcare. In Maniema, Orientale, Equateur, and Katanga provinces, the absence of other healthcare providers and overstretched health systems leave people vulnerable to contracting malaria.

MSF’s emergency response is saving lives in the short term, but in the longer term the organization cannot address the crisis alone. MSF calls on the Congolese government and health-related national and international nongovernmental organizations to take rapid and sustainable prevention and treatment measures to combat this scourge.

Malaria is the leading cause of death in DRC, killing nearly 300,000 children under five, every year.

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