Timeliness of malaria treatment in children under five years of age in sub Saharan Africa: a multicountry analyis of national household survey data.

IMalaria is one of the most severe public health problems worldwide particularly for children under five years of age. The World Health Organization recommends prompt diagnosis and treatment with effective antimalarial medicines within 24 hours of the onset of fever. Delays in treatment can have fatal consequences particularly if the infection is severe but few studies systematically assess these delays among children under five years of age in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). This study examined the extent to which children under five years of age across SSA received an antimalarial treatment within 24 hours of the reported onset of fever. The study also investigated children under five years of age who received a first-line artemisinin combination therapy (ACT) within 24 hours of the reported onset of fever. Finally the study identified predictors of prompt treatment with ACT and describes profiles of children who received this recommended treatment. The study focuses on the following countries prioritized by the United States’ President’s Malaria Initiative (PMI): Angola Benin Ethiopia Ghana Kenya Liberia Madagascar Malawi Mali Mozambique Rwanda Senegal Tanzania mainland Uganda Zambia and Zanzibar.