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PRIVATE SECTOR: Marathon Oil Shows Major Progress Against Malaria on Bioko Island

PROBLEM:

Malaria is endemic in Equatorial Guinea, a country in Central Africa made up of some land on the mainland and several islands, including the sizable island of Bioko, where the capital city of Malabo is located. The high prevalence of malaria on Bioko Island accounts for approximately 40% of the mortality rate for children under five years of age. Even when not fatal, malaria compromises health and productivity on the island and significantly impacts the financial well-being of families, especially those least able to afford medication. Marathon Oil identified malaria as a key issue facing both its employees and local communities.

SOLUTIONS:

Marathon partnered with Noble Energy, nonprofit organizations, health specialists and the Equatoguinean government to implement a five-year, $12.8 million program, which started in September 2004. It involves the following:

  • Vector Control: The principle intervention of the Bioko Island Malaria Control Project (BIMCP) is "vector control," through indoor residual spraying, which breaks the cycle of infected mosquitoes continuing to bite and infect new victims. The first round of spraying conducted in 2004 resulted in an 80% reduction in the number of infected mosquitoes. The Project is currently on its 5th full round of spraying, which it expects to complete in December 2006.
  • Case Management: The second intervention is improved case management to diagnose and treat malaria. Medical staff are trained to diagnose malaria, rather than its symptoms, and to use artemisinin-based combination drug therapies (ACT). Marathon and its partners are underwriting medication costs for high-risk sectors of the population, namely children under 15 years of age and pregnant women. This way, they have access to the best treatment available, without economic constraints limiting care.
  • Surveillance and Evaluation: Window traps located in representative sites around the island enable the BIMCP to monitor effectiveness in terms of reduction in mosquito numbers and their level of infectivity. These same surveillance sites will provide the basis for a crucial early warning system to help avoid a resurgence of malaria in the future.
  • Information, Education and Communication: A critical feature of the BIMCP is a community information, education and communication program. Because project success requires every home on Bioko Island to be sprayed with insecticide, communication materials were developed to explain why this is necessary, and to provide general information about the project and the prevention and treatment of malaria.
  • Insecticide Resistance Monitoring: Some resistance was found in the Bioko mosquito population following the first round of spraying with the pyrethroid insecticide. To manage this, Marathon switched to a non-pyrethroid alternative for the 2005 and 2006 spraying program.

A dramatic reduction of malariacausing parasites has already been seen. Survey results in 2006 indicate virtual elimination of the two primary diseasecarrying mosquitoes. Additionally, compared to the baseline health survey conducted before implementation began, the prevalence of malaria infection in children under 15 years of age and pregnant women fell by 33 percent after the first year of the project. Improvement continued as a result of the second year campaign with the 2006 health survey indicating an overall reduction of 44 percent compared to the pre-spraying infection rate. The annual incidence of malaria has been reduced by over 70 percent, averting an estimated 177,000 cases of malaria per year in a population of approximately 260,000 Island inhabitants.

LESSONS LEARNED:

The ability to detect resistance quickly and make a rapid change to an alternative insecticide demonstrates the benefit of an integrated project with robust monitoring and evaluation. Malaria programs are as good as the ability to monitor and respond to the disease and the conditions that cause it, and in Bioko Island, incorporating research and monitoring contributed significantly to controlling malaria. Also collaboration, including those at risk for developing malaria, contributes to overall success. Together with extensive education and communication, this has lead to a 44% reduction of malaria parasites in children and a 95% reduction in malaria transmitting mosquitoes in Equatorial Guinea. Collaboration also extends to local governments. Marathon and its partners sought counsel from health specialists and the Ministry of Health and Welfare to design an effective plan based on science and research, then backed the plan with appropriate funding. In an effort to create a healthier environment for all, and increase capacity and sustainability, Marathon has created a proven model which is now largely run by Equatoguineans.

Source:

Gorman, Christine. Marathon fights malaria:
Why an oil-and-gas giant is especially well-suited to tacking a mosquito-borne disease.
Time Magazine, September 2006.

Contact for further details:

Adel Chaouch
Marathon Oil Corporation
5555 San Felipe Road
Houston, TX 77056
713.296.3769

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