UMSP Malaria Reference Centres’ for monitoring Malaria Morbidity and Mortality in Uganda.
The Uganda Malaria Surveillance Program supports malaria sentinel site surveillance at selected public health facilities in Uganda. Since 2006, the program has expanded from 6 sites to 70 sites located in 38 districts around the country. From October 2019, MRC site expansion has focused on opening up a second MRC in selected districts (32 districts). District selection was based on the Ministry of Health – National Malaria Control Program’s Universal LLINs Distribution Campaign – 2020. Districts allocated to receive LLINs with PBO (Piperonyl Butoxide) were eligible for inclusion. The objective of this expansion is to plan for a cluster Randomised Control Trial to evaluate the effect of different types of LLINs on the incidence of malaria. Efforts are underway to identify the catchment areas around each MRC, map out villages and parishes around each MRC and use these data to estimate malaria incidence in each catchment area.
The malaria surveillance program relies on the Ministry of Health, HMIS Form 002 – Outpatient Register as the primary data source document. For all patients presenting to the outpatient department, data from the OP register is captured electronically facilitating management, analysis of the data and presentation of results at the individual level. To ensure high quality malaria surveillance data, the program emphasizes reporting of malaria cases based on laboratory confirmation. Staffs at MRCs are trained and regularly supervised on good medical record keeping practices and trained to regularly monitor malaria upsurges using malaria normal channel charts. Furthermore, the program is training HIAs and plotting ACT stock monitoring charts at each MRC as a tool to enhance data use for action at the point of data generation. The MRCs are also supported with essential needs like registers, stationery and lab supplies for malaria testing. UMSP generates data on a monthly basis to complement HMIS. This report summarises key malaria surveillance indicators for Malaria Reference Centres using data collected in August 2020.
Therapeutic Efficacy Studies (TES)
In addition to the mainstream malaria surveillance conducted at the MRCs, UMSP has been conducting routine Therapeutic Efficacy Studies (TES) for the treatment regimens recommended for the treatment of uncomplicated malaria in Uganda by the MoH. Under TES program, our main focus is to establish the efficacy, safety and resistance of the current antimalarial treatment regimens as recommended by MoH to guide treatment policy decisions in Uganda. The TES program since 2001 has been conducted every after two years with funding from multiple sources (PMI and WHO) and currently funded by the USAID Malaria Action Program for districts (MAPD).
