This research aims to quantify what proportion of the reduction in all-cause under-5 mortality is attributable to malaria control interventions, while accounting for other key childhood health interventions. Disentangling the effect of malaria control interventions from other child health efforts is a key attribute – and challenge – in this research. Many studies focus solely on malaria, overlooking the concurrent scale-up and impact of other child health interventions and programs.
The MCPA project builds off the health data collected in both Zambia and Uganda over the last 20 years. IHME and in-country partners work together to collate existing data from ministries of health, malaria control offices, statistical bureaus, and other in-country entities that maintain information about child health, malaria, and demographics.
Using these data, estimates of socio-demographics factors, intervention coverage, and under-5 mortality are produced. These estimates are generated at the subnational level over two decades. Causal attribution models are used to assess the contribution of malaria control efforts to the reduction in under-5 mortality.
Partners
IHME also collaborates with a number of other malaria stakeholders, including the President’s Malaria Initiative, as well as researchers, policymakers, and health care workers, in both Zambia and Uganda.
The Grant
The goal of the Malaria Control Policy Assessment (MCPA) project is to assess the contribution of interventions focused on combating malaria, while controlling for a host of other child health interventions, on under-5 mortality. By assessing the relationship between the scale-up of these interventions and under-5 mortality rates, this research provides decision-makers with actionable, results-based information for choices about malaria control efforts.