Project 465289

With the COVID-19 pandemic jeopardizing two decades of progress against malaria in Africa, approaches to supporting health workers on the frontlines of managing both diseases are urgently needed. Health workers are responsible for the management of both COVID-19 and malaria, while also being at greater risk of COVID-19 infection and onward transmission through their close contact with patients. Their work is complicated by the symptom overlap between COVID-19 and malaria which complicates diagnosis and treatment resulting in an increased risk of poor health outcomes. The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is at risk for poor outcomes related to COVID-19 and malaria. DRC has the second-highest burden of malaria worldwide and accounts for 12% of malaria cases and 13% of malaria deaths worldwide. Less than 1% of the population has been fully vaccinated against COVID-19. Insights into health workers' changing knowledge, attitudes, and behaviours towards both diseases is lacking but essential to tackling the COVID-19/malaria interface. This research will make recommendations to address the COVID-19/malaria interface at health centers in Kinshasa, DRC. We will collect data from health workers at six health centres in Kinshasa Province using questionnaires and focus group discussions (FGD). The questionnaires will provide quantitative data identifying the barriers and drivers for taking up recommended COVID-19 control behaviours and managing the COVID-19/malaria case-mix. The FGDs will gather health workers' perspectives on their recommended solutions to the challenges to COVID-19/malaria control and case management that can be implemented at health centres. This study will produce recommendations for improving the role health workers can play in making progress against both COVID-19 and malaria. These outcomes will equip policy and decision makers with the knowledge needed to address the intersection of pandemic response and endemic disease management.