Malaria situation in Bangladesh
- Concern: Malaria is a significant issue in Bangladesh.
- Risk Population: Around 17.74 million people (10.7% of the population) at risk in 2022.
- Districts: 13 districts are “endemic,” while 51 are “non-endemic.”
- Impact: Malaria is now a focal disease in Bangladesh with the 03 CHT districts contributing more than 90% of total cases [94% in 2021 and 95% in 2022 (until October)].
- National Priority: Bangladesh prioritizes interventions for malaria reduction and nationwide elimination, aligned with the SDG 3 target to end malaria by 2030.
Targeted Phased Elimination: Milestones and Targets
- By 2024: Local transmission interrupted in 4 districts of Mymensingh zone , Malaria free status of 51 districts determined
- By 2026: Local transmission interrupted in 4 districts of Sylhet zone, Chattogram and Cox’s Bazar
- By 2027: API reduced to <1 per 1,000 population in 03 CHT districts and zero mortality due to indigenous malaria attained
- By 2030: Local transmission interrupted nationwide.
- By 2033: Malaria elimination certificate received from WHO
Project Background
To support the efforts in malaria surveillance, monitoring, and evaluation, GroupMappers, MORU, have developed a geospatial dashboard called “Malaria 360”as a visualization and monitoring platform providing valuable contributions in two key areas.
Firstly, the Malaria API Tracker enables users to access and generate tables, charts, maps, and malaria information on the dashboard, eliminating the need for manual intervention. This streamlines the process and enhances data accessibility for informed decision-making.
Secondly, the Village Map Tracker facilitates the implementation of village mapping, enabling micro-planning and targeted surveillance efforts at the lowest geographical level by mapping village and population.
Why micro plan?
The hilly regions of Bangladesh, inhabited by indigenous people, face two major challenges: high malaria cases and a lack of accurate information including geospatial data. This hampers effective tracking and support from the National Malaria Elimination Program (NMEP). Additionally, the communities’ slash-and-burn agriculture practices lead to frequent movement, causing villages to emerge, expand, or disappear. These factors pose significant obstacles in addressing the needs of these communities.
How our system helps in microplanning and decision making?
Facilitates detailed micro-level planning by providing geospatial information on villages, supporting targeted interventions and surveillance efforts.
Empowers users to make informed decisions by visualizing malaria cases by villages and related healthcare facilities.
Key features
Malaria API Tracker
Provides comprehensive malaria data at the district and sub-district and village levels, presented through automated charts, tables, maps, customized reports.
- Maps: Annual Parasite Incidence, Bed net coverage, Health worker distribution, Health facilities location, Anopheles species distribution, Malaria vector distribution
- Tables: Malaria case, Health worker list, Health facilities list, Population, Anopheles species.
- Charts: Malaria test, case, death, positivity rate, age and gender wise malaria case,
- Analysis and modelling: Malaria hotspots, Malaria risk, Accessibility analysis of health services, guide optimal location of services, referral of severe cases.
Offers a user-friendly mechanism for data collection, integrating SMS and App based data collection for seamless data feeding.
Allows users to analyze malaria information at the micro (village) level, providing insights into different malaria forms and their trends.
Village Map Tracker
Allows display of village maps with village master lists including population, individual houses, settlement boundaries, other features and landmarks
Key Activities of the Project
The project was piloted in Lama, Bandarban, and 644 villages. This approach allowed for testing the developed tools and methodologies while capturing essential geospatial information for targeted interventions and surveillance efforts.
Health workers received comprehensive training to effectively collect data using SMS and KoboToolbox. This equipped them with the necessary skills to ensure accurate and efficient data collection processes.
The project focuses on identifying and reaching high-risk groups affected by malaria, enabling targeted interventions and tailored support to mitigate the impact of the disease.
