Malaria is prevalent in 90% of Madagascar, with the most stricken regions on the East Coast. PCVs all over the country are working towards Stomping Out Malaria and decreasing deaths due to malaria by 2015. Below is a map of the prevalence of malaria for children under 5 years old that tested positive for Plasmodium falciparum.

With the most recent bed net distribution by PMI, USAID and CDC occurring in November and December 2012 on the East coast the next wave of nets are due to be distributed sometime this year to the remainder of the country.

Bed nets distributed in November/December 2012 (purple) and within the next few months (grey). In the highland regions (white) Indoor Residual Spraying (IRS) is a focus of prevention, not bed nets.

Currently there are 112 PCVs throughout the entire country of Madagascar. March 2013 marked the welcoming of the newest 18 health and 18 agriculture PCVs. 2012 was a standstill to the health program as it went under a revamp. Now with the more focused criteria and framework PCVs have a better idea of their programs and goals, malaria being a major component for every PCV’s work. Currently Madagascar has Environment, Community Enterprise Development (CED), Health and English Education sectors with the newest group being Env/CED combined into Agriculture.

Newly developed projects and trainings are rolling out through Madagascar.

Here’s a sneak peek at what’s been done and what’s being planned.

• PC Madagascar is now incorporating Regional Malaria Coordinators into our training program, with the current 11 RMCs working all over the country. Half of them are health PCVs with the other half ranging from Environment, Education and CED sector PCVs.
• The NightWatch curriculum developed by Malaria No More has been translated into Malagasy with help from the LCFs (Language and Culture Facilitators) and has been widely distributed to all PCVs. 
• One-Day Mini Boot Camps have been scheduled for the Majunga, Morondava, SAVA and Diego regions, with the most recent one in Feburary in Moramanga, training 15 PCVs in 3 regions.
• SWAT (Standing With Africa to Terminate) Malaria camps have been developed in Fort Dauphin and Mananjary, with PCVs bringing 16 secondary school children to the main city to teach about malaria prevention, treatment and peer leadership. With partners such as PSI (Population Services International) and the Ministry of Health giving speeches to the youth about health in Fort Dauphin.

Community counterparts in Mananjary gear up for World Malaria Day 2013 and learn to properly sew nets.

• On the East Coast in Tsivangiana PCVs developed a net care and repair mural that displays the 4 important steps to making your net last for 3 years; washing it with bar soap and not detergent, drying in the shade, using it properly every night and repairing holes. They painted and drew the mural on fabric then used a natural ‘soupy rice’ paste where they then glued the mural onto the health clinic (CSB). Fun and innovative!

Mural on net care and repair in Tsivangiana, with PCVs Eddie Carver and Katherine Quayhagen.

• April 2013 PC Madagascar welcomes PCRV Ally Young back to Madagascar. She served from 2010-2012 and returns for a year. She is working with USAID | DELIVER working with malaria prevention and monitoring of private health facilities. She hopes to attend the June 2013 Stomping Out Malaria in Africa Boot Camp in Thies, Senegal.