Mali
Country Overview
Mali, a West African country of approximately 12.7 million people, suffers from severe poverty and inequality. The country is developed in urban areas, but 65% of its land area is desert and insufficient water makes development difficult. The population is burdened by malaria and all seven of the most common neglected tropical diseases (NTDs). Mali’s health system is weak, with very limited medical facilities and treatments. International development organizations and foreign missionary groups provide much of the country’s health care. Despite obstacles in health, Mali is recognized as one of Africa’s strongest democracies.
Current Effort
The Malian government has consistently provided strong support to address its NTD burden, with disease-specific programs dating back to the 1980’s. These programs have always been supported by international organizations including GTZ and more recently the Schistosomiasis Control Initiative (SCI) and the International Trachoma Initiative (ITI). Integrated control for all of the NTDs was established in 2006 under the Directorate of Disease Control. The most recent National Schistosomiasis Control Programme (PNLSG) was launched in 2004 in the region of Ségou, and it arranged for the distribution of treatment to all school-age children and all high-risk groups. In 2005, mass drug administration against schistosomiasis and soil-transmitted helminths (STHs) was launched in the Mopti region, targeting more than 1 million people. The PNLSG programs have expanded yearly treatments, and prevalence rates of schistosomiasis and STHs have decreased in treated regions.
In 2007, Mali received “fast-track” funding through USAID’s NTD Control Program with a subgrant to ITI and Helen Keller International (HKI), to be one of the first five countries to integrate its NTD control efforts and scale them up to the national level. In 2008, the second year of integrated program implementation, Global Network members and other partners in-country provided for the treatment of more than 9 million people in 24 districts.
Remaining Gap
Despite successes to-date, schistosomiasis remains a key public health problem, with many of those at risk still not receiving treatment. Approximately $1.1 million per year over five years will enable the implementation of integrated NTD control in Mali (though nationwide trachoma elimination with the SAFE strategy will likely require additional funding). To support NTD control efforts in Mali, please here.
