Africa: New Research Reveals How Countries Can Continue to Deliver Life-Saving Medicine in Complex Settings

What the report says

AllAfrica, distributing a Malaria Consortium report dated 24 July 2026, says new research in Malaria Journal has identified ways to improve delivery of seasonal malaria chemoprevention, or SMC, in difficult operating environments such as areas affected by conflict and flooding. The study focused on Aweil South and Aweil West counties in Northern Bahr el Ghazal state, South Sudan, where damaged facilities, displacement, weak infrastructure and seasonal floods have complicated efforts to reach children with preventive antimalarial medicines.

According to the report, SMC has been used in South Sudan since 2022 to protect children aged 3 to 59 months during periods of high malaria transmission. Coverage in 2024 reached 79 percent, below the 90 percent target. The study found that trust built through local health workers and community distributors helped families understand and correctly use SMC, supporting acceptance and uptake. Malaria Consortium also cited national data showing malaria cases in Aweil South and Aweil West fell by 72.2 percent between 2022 and 2024 after SMC implementation.

The research highlighted additional enablers, including linking SMC with insecticide-treated net distribution and malaria surveillance, while using existing community and health-system structures. Reported barriers included difficulties estimating eligible children because of displacement, limited resources, poor roads, flooding, weak communication systems, workforce constraints and logistics problems.

Malaria Consortium said the findings are already shaping programme adjustments in South Sudan. By 2025, reported SMC coverage had risen above 80 percent, with two campaign cycles surpassing the 90 percent target. The organization said lessons such as stronger drug supply chains, workforce support and mobile clinics could guide malaria prevention in other complex humanitarian settings.