Republic of Congo: Religious leaders can play a role in community involvement and Malaria prevention.

Paschal Norbert (CISA) - Brazzaville.

“In the Republic of the Congo, malaria remains a real public health problem. All segments of the population are at risk of contracting this disease. Children under five years of age and pregnant women remain the most vulnerable. Indeed, it is the leading cause of consultations (70%), hospitalization (65%) and mortality (18%),” says Archbishop of Brazzaville, Bienvenu Manamika Bafouakouahou in an interview with the Catholic Relief Services (CRS).

Malaria: Cause and consequence of poverty

Archbishop Manamika elucidates the disastrous effects of the malaria epidemic on society and also highlights the role of faith leaders through the support of the Global Fund in the fight against malaria, HIV and tuberculosis in Congo-Brazzaville.

He says, “Quite simply, we are facing a scourge that ravages, that kills almost every day and destabilizes families, especially the poorest. In the Republic of the Congo, malaria is a cause and consequence of poverty. Frequent consultations and the cost of care weigh heavily on household budgets. Parents miss working days, and disruption of children’s studies has both short- and long-term consequences. This disease also weighs on health systems and is an obstacle to socio-economic development in endemic countries such as the Republic of the Congo.”

Religious leaders have role to play

The 58-year-old prelate underscores the critical role religious leaders can play in raising awareness, mobilizing communities and encouraging behaviour change through meetings with health workers, the mobilisation of volunteers and the sanitation of living environments. Averring that the responsibility of the faith leaders “is to advocate and build networks with other religious leaders, community leaders and political-administrative authorities to create change.”

“We know that as religious leaders, our voices are heard, so we must all work together to support doctors, the Ministry of Health and Population and technical and financial partners. As religious leaders, our duty is to advocate in our churches, in schools, in communities, in the streets, and everywhere we can to let communities know that malaria is a serious but curable disease,” states the local Ordinary of Brazzaville.

COVID-19 disrupted health sector

Archbishop Manamika also revealed that the COVID-19 pandemic further disrupted an already ailing health sector in the Congo, thus, hampering the prevention and management of malaria. He says the challenges to the health systems in the country are "largely related to the mobiliSation of human and financial resources, especially among the most isolated.”

“The production and supply of insecticides, insecticide-treated nets, malaria tests and medicines were hampered or blocked by COVID-19 restriction and containment measures. There was also the lack of nursing staff and the quality of care left much to be desired. Added to this is the fear of being contaminated by going to a health centre, which has weighed heavily on people and impacted access to care,” he said.

Malaria still very high in in Congo

According to a Malaria Epidemiological Research, the Republic of Congo is one of the 54 countries in Africa where malaria transmission is still high and the latest estimations from the National Malaria Control Programme (NMCP) indicate that clinical malaria accounts for 47.9% of all outpatient consultations in public hospitals, 64.8% of hospital admissions and 18.4% of deaths.

Global Fund in partnership with CRS leverages the unique geographic spread and social influence of faith-based organizations to build more resilient health systems while building progress in the fight against the three epidemics; HIV, tuberculosis and malaria. Through its funding, NMCP is implementing a malaria control project in the country.