Sana’a – On Monday, 4 January 2020 a cargo plane, chartered by the International Organization for Migration (IOM), arrived in Sana’a International Airport, carrying 6.7 tonnes of anti-malarial drugs to be distributed to over 1,500 health facilities across Yemen. This essential medication is entering the country through an IOM-managed programme with support from the Global Fund’s Middle East Response Project.

Since 2017, IOM has implemented the Middle East Response Project funded by the Global Fund to support national programmes in the implementation of HIV, TB and malaria activities in five countries, including Yemen. The Global Fund’s Middle East Response Project aims to deliver uninterrupted care for essential services through the provision of diagnostic, treatment and prevention services, in often challenging operating environments.

Yemen’s public health system is at breaking point, with most Yemenis struggling to access health care. Basic medicines and medical supplies are in high demand but short supply. The COVID-19 pandemic has affected the global supply chain of essential drugs and medicines, already made more difficult in Yemen as the supply chain is already disrupted by war and conflict.

The drugs airlifted in by IOM will be utilized by Yemen’s National Malaria Control Programme (NMCP) to treat more than 200,000 people affected by malaria. Those at risk of severe complications from the mosquito-borne infectious disease, including pregnant women and children, will receive the urgently needed medication, as will populations who have extremely limited access to health services like internally displaced people (IDPs), migrants and refugees.

Malaria poses a significant public health problem in Yemen and it affects some of the poorest populations in rural areas.

Approximately two-thirds of Yemen’s 28 million strong population live in malaria endemic areas, putting them at risk of contracting the disease. However, nearly 90 per cent of malaria transmission is localized to the Tehama region and surrounding areas in the west of the country, which is also known as the Red Sea coastal plain of the Arabian Peninsula; home to some of Yemen’s most populated cities. The intensity of transmission in this region is increased due to low geographical altitude, seasonal temperatures, humidity and agricultural activities in coastal valleys.

IOM in collaboration with the Government of Yemen, Ministry of Public Health and Population and NMCP, are implementing Malaria prevention and treatment activities across Yemen through the Global Fund supported MER project. These include vector control, case management, surveillance, monitoring and evaluation which all contribute to the National Malaria Strategic Plan (2019 to 2021).

In addition to the anti-malarial drugs delivered for distribution, a total of 2.3 million long-lasting insecticidal nets (LLINs) have recently been brought into the country to be distributed across multiple governorates. A total of 810,451 LLINs are already distributed in 29 malaria endemic districts of Al-Hudaydah, Marib, Hadramout and Socotra governorates preventing over 1.6 million people from malaria including 84,000 IDPs, 198,218 children under five, 38,958 pregnant women.  Since the start of 2019, over 300,000 health workers have been trained on diagnosis and treatment management of Malaria, including on Anti-Malarial Drugs and management of severe Malaria, as part of this Project. Additionally, more than 1,000 community health volunteers were trained and mobilized to diagnose, treat and refer malaria cases in the community.

For more information, please contact Mennatallah Homaid at IOM Yemen, Tel: +967739888755, Email: mhomaid@iom.int