DHS at Work

On This Page:

• Results from the 2006-07 Angola MIS
• Results from the 2006 Senegal MIS
• Nigeria DHS Results Prompt New Malaria Prevention Initiative
• Nigeria DHS Results Prompt New Malaria Prevention Initiative

Results from the 2006-07 Angola MIS

Approximately one-third of all deaths to children under age 5 are due to malaria in Angola.  And yet, only one-third of households own at least one mosquito net;  28% own an insecticide-treated net (ITN).  Ownership of nets is highest in the hyperendemic region, with almost half of households owning an ITN.

Use of mosquito nets is also fairly low.  Only 21% of children under 5 slept under a net the night before the survey.  One-quarter of pregnant women slept under a net the night before the survey compared to 17% of all women.

While 60% of women took an antimalarial during their last pregnancy, only 3 percent followed the recommended practice of 2 or more doses of SP/Fansidar.  Three in ten children under age 5 with a fever in the 2 weeks before the survey received antimalarial drugs.  Most were given chloroquine or amodiaquine. 

Blood testing for malaria was carried out during the Angola MIS.  Results showed that 20% of children 6-59 months had malaria.  Malaria in children was most prevalent in the hyperendemic region, and among children from the poorest households. One in seven pregnant women was positive for malaria.  Malaria prevalence among pregnant women was highest in rural areas (19%) and among those living in the hyperendemic region (18%). Women and children were also tested for anemia, a common sign of malaria.   Four percent of children and 1% of women were found to be seriously anemic.

Results from the 2006 Senegal MIS

Malaria is the number one cause of death among pregnant women and children under five in Senegal.  Almost six in ten households have at least one mosquito net, but only 36% have an insecticide-treated bednet.  This marks a significant improvement, as only 20% of households had an ITN in the 2005 DHS.  According to the 2006 MIS, only about one-quarter of children under age 5 slept under a net the night before the survey, and only 16% slept under an ITN.  One-third of pregnant women slept under a net the night before the survey, while only 17% slept under an ITN.  Still, pregnant women are more likely to sleep under a net than non-pregnant women, indicating that women do know that malaria prevention is especially important during pregnancy.

Indoor residual spraying is very uncommon in Senegal, with only 3 percent of households reporting spraying.

Doctors recommend that women receive two doses of Fansidar during antenatal care to prevent malaria.  Although 87% of pregnant women took an antimalarial medication to prevent malaria during their last pregnancy, just under 70% took Fansidar, and only half received two doses of Fansidar, as recommended.  Use of antimalarials during pregnancy differs by region.  More than 90% of women in Thies, Dakar, and Zinguinchor took these preventive medications, compared to only two-thirds of women in Matam.    

The Senegal MIS showed that 37% of children under age five had symptoms of malaria in the two weeks before the survey (fever and/or convulsions).  Among those with fever, 22% received an antimalarial, but only 11% received the medication the same day or the day after the fever appeared.   Chloroquine was the most commonly used treatment, followed by Senegal’s recommended combination therapy (amonate/falcimon/Arsuman).

Nigeria DHS Results Prompt New Malaria Prevention Initiative

In response to 2003 Nigeria DHS malaria data, Population Services International an the British Department for International Development (DFID) increased program efforts and budgets in order to market insecticide-treated bednets.

2005 World Malaria Report Uses DHS Data

The recently released 2005 World Malaria Report (from UNICEF and The WHO) cites DHS data on child illness, use of bednets and antimalarial drugs. The report focuses on the Roll Back Malaria Project, but uses data from several sources to describe the current burden of malaria in the developing world.