Stakeholders pose for a photo after the launch of 2023 South Sudan Malaria Indicator Survey in Juba on Monday, 16th Oct 2023. Photo credit: Charles Wote/Eye Radio.

The Ministry of Health on Monday launched the commencement of nationwide 2023 Malaria Indicator Survey to determine the prevalence of the disease and anemia in children below ages of five years.

It will also assess the coverage of core malaria control intervention and strengthen the capacity of the National malaria Control program.

The exercise targets children and mothers of reproductive age of 15 – 49 in 5600 households in the ten states.

The survey which started on October 16 and ends on November 13, will be done by 40 outreach teams – with each group comprising of four members and a supervisor.

Dr. Ader Macar Aciek, the Undersecretary of the National Ministry of Health said the survey results will strengthen the capacity of the ministry and partners in conducting an evident-based planning and intervention.

“This survey is critical to evaluate the progress made towards achieving the goals and targets outlined in the national malaria strategic plan 2021 – 2025 as follow up in the 2017 malaria indicators survey findings,” Dr Aciek said.

“The results of this survey will strengthen the capacity of the Ministry and its partners to conduct evident based planning to implement intervention that can contribute towards impact.”

Dr. Aciek said effective malaria control can only be effective if guided by data, which he said will be produced in the Malaria indicator survey.

According to him, this is third Malaria indicator survey to be conducted in South Sudan following the 2013 and 2017 surveys.

For her part, Dr. Mutale Senkwe, the Officer in Charge at the World Health Organization Country office believes that exercise will help the country get reliable and acceptable results.

“We are hoping that this time around, we have to make sure that there is adherence to the quality as well as labeling and coding of all the samples or the participants in the survey,” he said.

“I hope with the barcodes that we just recently received we should be able to utilize them accordingly so that this time around, the results that we will receive are going to be reliable and acceptable by WHO.”

Dr. Senkwe reiterated WHO’s commitment to supporting efforts in combating malaria in South Sudan.

“With that let me just reiterate WHO commitment to supporting all the efforts in combating malaria in South Sudan and I ask everyone to embrace the malaria indicator survey.”

Malaria is a life-threatening disease spread to humans by some types of mosquitoes and is mostly found in tropical countries.

Its mild symptoms are fever, chills and headache while the severe symptoms include fatigue, confusion, seizures, and difficulty breathing which mainly starts within 10–15 days of getting bitten by an infected mosquito.

According to WHO, Malaria can be prevented by avoiding mosquito bites and by taking medicines and by using mosquito nets when sleeping in places where malaria is present.