Delivery of malaria services during a pandemic: lessons from COVID-19 in Nigeria

TL;DR

The paper discusses how malaria services in Nigeria were maintained during the COVID-19 pandemic through adapted strategies and partnerships.

Contribution

The study provides practical lessons on adapting malaria programs during global health crises like the pandemic.

Findings

Modifications to malaria interventions allowed wide coverage despite lockdowns.

Strong partnerships and community health workers were crucial for service delivery during the pandemic.

Operational guidelines helped programs adapt to unpredictable situations.

Abstract

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic posed significant threats to maintaining malaria services in Nigeria and threatened to reverse global progress towards elimination of the disease. During the COVID-19 pandemic, we worked in collaboration with the National Malaria Elimination Programme in Nigeria across 11 states to ensure that malaria campaigns and routine services continued. Here, we share the challenges and experiences from developing and implementing operational guidelines that enabled programmes to be adapted during unpredictable situations. The modifications made to long-lasting insecticide-treated net distribution and seasonal malaria chemoprevention campaign strategies enabled wide coverage of these interventions, despite limitations imposed by lockdowns. Strong partnerships were essential for the continued delivery of malaria services during lockdowns, which also highlighted the importance of community health workers during emergencies.