Malaria in Benin is the leading cause of mortality among children under five years of age and

morbidity A disease is a particular abnormal condition that negatively affects the structure or function of all or part of an organism, and that is not immediately due to any external injury. Diseases are often known to be medical conditions that a ...

among adults.

Malaria Malaria is a mosquito-borne infectious disease that affects humans and other animals. Malaria causes symptoms that typically include fever, tiredness, vomiting, and headaches. In severe cases, it can cause jaundice, seizures, coma, or death. S ...

accounts for 40 percent of

outpatient A patient is any recipient of health care services that are performed by healthcare professionals. The patient is most often ill or injured and in need of treatment by a physician, nurse, optometrist, dentist, veterinarian, or other health care ...

consultations and 25 percent of all hospital admissions. Malaria places an enormous economic strain on

Benin Benin ( , ; french: Bénin , ff, Benen), officially the Republic of Benin (french: République du Bénin), and formerly Dahomey, is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Togo to the west, Nigeria to the east, Burkina Faso to the nort ...

's development. The World Bank estimates that households in Benin spend approximately one quarter of their annual income on the prevention and treatment of malaria. Benin's long-term goal is to reduce the burden of malaria in order to improve national socio-economic development. Large-scale implementation of

artemisinin-based combination therapies Antimalarial medications or simply antimalarials are a type of antiparasitic chemical agent, often naturally derived, that can be used to treat or to prevent malaria, in the latter case, most often aiming at two susceptible target groups, young c ...

(ACTs) and intermittent preventive treatment for pregnant women (IPTp) began in Benin in 2007 and has progressed rapidly.

Rapid diagnostic test A rapid diagnostic test (RDT) is a medical diagnostic test that is quick and easy to perform. RDTs are suitable for preliminary or emergency medical screening and for use in medical facilities with limited resources. They also allow point-of-care ...

s, ACTs, and IPTp are being used in public health facilities nationwide and are being introduced into registered private clinics. More than 6 million long-lasting insecticide-treated nets have been distributed through mass and continuous distribution channels. Community health workers serve at the peripheral level of the national health system and are trained in malaria treatment and high-impact interventions. A recent national study found that 70 percent of all antimalarial sales take place in the private sector. Benin has shown significant improvements in several key malaria indicators, such as net ownership and usage and uptake of IPTp. Malaria is

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found else ...

to Benin, and while transmission is stable, it is influenced by several factors, including vector species,

geography Geography (from Greek: , ''geographia''. Combination of Greek words ‘Geo’ (The Earth) and ‘Graphien’ (to describe), literally "earth description") is a field of science devoted to the study of the lands, features, inhabitants, an ...

climate Climate is the long-term weather pattern in an area, typically averaged over 30 years. More rigorously, it is the mean and variability of meteorological variables over a time spanning from months to millions of years. Some of the meteorologi ...

, and

hydrography Hydrography is the branch of applied sciences which deals with the measurement and description of the physical features of oceans, seas, coastal areas, lakes and rivers, as well as with the prediction of their change over time, for the primar ...

. The primary malaria

vector Vector most often refers to: *Euclidean vector, a quantity with a magnitude and a direction *Vector (epidemiology), an agent that carries and transmits an infectious pathogen into another living organism Vector may also refer to: Mathematic ...

in Benin is '' Anopheles gambiae s.s.'', but secondary vectors are also important to transmission.

Entomological Entomology () is the scientific study of insects, a branch of zoology. In the past the term "insect" was less specific, and historically the definition of entomology would also include the study of animals in other arthropod groups, such as arach ...

monitoring has confirmed insecticide resistance to carbamates among mosquito vector populations in parts of the country.

Notes

References

{{reflist Healthcare in Benin Malaria