Barriers against and strategies for malaria control during the COVID-19 pandemic in low- and middle-income countries: a systematic review

• Published in: Malaria Journal
• Main Authors: Jiwook Park, Seungwoo Kang, Dayoung Seok, Yae Jee Baek, Se Young An, Junga Lee, Alina Jun, Sun-Young Kim
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: BMC 2023
• Subjects: Malaria; COVID-19; Pandemic; Barriers; Malaria strategies; Low- and middle-income countries (LMICs); Arctic medicine. Tropical medicine; RC955-962; Infectious and parasitic diseases; RC109-216; Arctic; Prisma
• Online Access: https://doi.org/10.1186/s12936-023-04452-2; https://doaj.org/article/d66f995c4f224974a7abf8394c59c09f

Abstract Background The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted malaria control activities globally. Notably, high levels of excess malaria morbidity and mortality in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) were reported. Although it is crucial to systematically understand the main causes of the disruption to malaria control and synthesize strategies to prepare for future pandemics, such studies are scarce. Therefore, this study aims to better identify barriers against and strategies for malaria control. Methods Following the PRISMA guidelines and through searches of electronic databases and Google Scholar, a systematic literature review was conducted to identify studies pertaining to malaria control published between January 2020 and December 2021. Only studies that discussed reported barriers and/or strategies related to malaria were included for the review. The Mixed Methods Quality Appraisal Tool (MMAT) and the Authority, Accuracy, Coverage, Objectivity, Date and Significance (AACODS) checklist were used for quality appraisal. Key information such as literature type, study design, setting and population, interventions, outcomes, barriers, and strategies were extracted. With an existing framework of four dimensions (accessibility, affordability, availability, and acceptability) further subdivided by the supply and demand sides, this study synthesized information on barriers and strategies related to malaria control and further categorized the strategies based on the time frame. Results From the 30 selected studies, 27 barriers and 39 strategies were identified. The lockdown measures, which mainly threatened geographic accessibility and availability of malaria control services, were identified to be the main barrier hindering effective mobilization of community health workers and resources. Among the identified strategies, clear risk communication strategies would alleviate psychosocial barriers, which challenged acceptability. Some strategies that cross-cut points across all four dimensions would, require ...