ANDROHIBE, ANTANANARIVO –The Minister of Public Health, Pr. Lalatiana Andriamanarivo and the Mission Director of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), Michelle Godette, officially inaugurated the entomology department of the National Malaria Control Program’s (NMCP) new insectarium.

“This insectarium will equip the Direction de la Lutte contre le Paludisme with the ability to monitor the behavior and resistance to insecticides of mosquito populations in Madagascar, and use that knowledge to adapt the malaria control strategy, improve responses, and enhance the protection of the Malagasy people,” said Mission Director Godette.

The U.S. government, through the U.S. President’s Malaria Initiative (PMI) funding, supports NMCP in implementing the national malaria control strategy. The control strategy includes life-saving interventions such as distribution of long lasting insecticide treated nets (LLINs), indoor residual spraying (IRS), management of malaria in pregnant women, malaria surveillance and epidemic response, and use of effective drugs to diagnose and treat malaria.

The NMCP’s Entomology department has already received support for training to improve the skills and knowledge of Malaria Control Branch (DLP) technicians. The department’s activities will be enhanced by the insectarium, which will provide more information to guide the national strategy and improve outcomes.

“From available data, we now know that the control programs we have been operating, such as the distribution of bed nets and spraying homes in high-malarial zones with insecticide are preventing over 100,000 cases of malaria in Madagascar, each year,” said Mission Director Godette. “This is already a great result and the knowledge we will get from this insectarium will allow us to protect even more people.”