Monitoring and evaluation of malaria control in Zambia involve a global partnership.

Monitoring and evaluation (M&E) are critical to understanding how well malaria control services are delivered and to understanding their impact on malaria. MACEPA is working with Zambia’s Ministry of Health and its Roll Back Malaria partners to reinforce a strong monitoring and evaluation system for national malaria control efforts. These efforts are guided by the 2006–2010 National Malaria Prevention and Control M&E Plan for measuring progress toward targets laid out in Zambia's National Malaria Strategic Plan. The M&E and strategic plans are available for download from the National Malaria Control Centre's website.

In 2006, led by the Ministry of Health and supported by MACEPA, the first national malaria indicator survey provided national benchmarks for coverage levels for the core malaria interventions: insecticide-treated mosquito nets, malaria treatment, indoor residual house spraying, and intermittent preventive treatment. A second survey was conducted in 2008 that showed that Zambia was making dramatic progress, particularly in reducing malaria parasite prevalence and anemia in children. Zambia's malaria control efforts have contributed to an overall 29% reduction in child mortality rates in the last five years.

Understanding the delivery of malaria services is essential for reporting to donors and for improving performance. Data collection, analysis, and reporting from the monitoring and evaluation system have guided the scale-up of net distribution and house spraying—the core prevention strategies for malaria control in Zambia. These are being rolled out as complementary interventions to blanket the nation with much-needed protection. MACEPA is also providing key leadership in backstopping the redesign of malaria information collection mechanisms through the national Health Management Information System.

Photo: Paul Libiszowski.