IntraHealth International’s “VITAL”: Zambia Pilot Demonstrates How to Save Lives, Scale Relief for Children Suffering from Malaria
Cathy Green, senior technical adviser for community engagement at MAMaZ Against Malaria, and Paula Quigley, technical lead at DAI Global Health, discuss a successful pilot intervention that trained community health volunteers in Zambia to recognize severe malaria among children, “identify danger signs, provide pre-referral treatment to children with [rectal artesunate (RAS)], and refer them to health facilities without delay.” The authors also discuss the potential scale-up of the approach and note, “A whole-community approach improves how individuals recognize stricken children, report the illness, and seek treatment” (12/4).