The occurrence of malaria per 10,000 children in Mozambique decreased from 134 in 2003 to 94 per 10,000 children in 2009. The decrease was of 5 cases per year, which means that at this speed by 2015 the country will have exceeded the MDG target in this indicator (80 cases per 10,000 children).

• The rate of malaria prevalence in under-fives varies between 35% and 60%, and more than 80% of these children suffer from anaemia, one of the main complications of malaria.
• During pregnancy malaria is one of the main causes of premature births and/or low weight at birth, about 35% of the pregnant women carry the parasite and more than 60% suffer from associated anaemia. The weight of the disease is enormous: about 45% of all cases observed in the outpatient visits and approximately 56% of the admissions to the paediatric wards are due to malaria.
• In 2009, intra-domiciliary spraying achieved a coverage of 42% of the population, while the target for 2015 is 60%.
• Individual protection through the distribution of long-lasting insecticidal mosquito nets is set to 80% coverage by 2015 but in 2009 the result was 25%. In 2009, 838,130 nets been distributed to pregnant women, resulting in a coverage of 76.6%.
• The data show that the percentage of children using mosquito nets is higher in urban environments (25.5%) than in rural environments (21.8%), and is higher in girls (23.3%) than in boys (22.4%).
• The percentage of under-fives sleeping under an insecticide-treated mosquito net is highest in Nampula Province (33.5%) and is lowest in Maputo Province (8.5%).

Constraints on the achievement of the targets for 2015

The main constraints on the achievement of the targets for 2015 are:

• Poor adherence of the communities to the spraying campaigns;
• Poor level of attendance of pregnant women at pre-natal visits;
• Poor coverage of mosquito nets.

Positive factors of progress in the indicators

• There has been a clear reduction of the number of cases and obits associated with malaria in the whole country;
• The introduction of rapid malaria tests and the training of clinical staff in diagnostics and malaria treatment;
• The introduction of intermittent malaria treatment of pregnant women;
• The expansion of intra-domiciliary spraying ;
• The consolidation of the distribution of mosquito nets;
• The national malaria control programme prepared a new Strategic Plan and the respective monitoring and evaluation plan for 2010-2014;
• The anti-malaria movement provides an opportunity to intensify the fight against the disease.

Recommendations for the achievement of the targets for 2015

The big challenges for the malaria programme are the reintroduction of other vector control methods, such as the application of larvicides and the laboratory confirmation of all suspected cases of malaria.

Source: Report on the Millennium Development Goals - Mozambique 2010