Evaluation of the Eligibility of Haut-Katanga for Seasonal Malaria Chemoprevention in the Democratic Republic of Congo

Context: Despite considerable gains in reducing morbidity and mortality, malaria remains a major health problem due to the deteriorating epidemiological trend over the last eight years. The aim of this study was to analyze the malaria transmission profile in order to adapt control strategies, including SMC (Seasonal Malaria Chemoprevention), for malaria prevention in children under five years of age in the Haut-Katanga province. Methods: This was a longitudinal descriptive study that included all cases of malaria in children under 5 years of age recorded in the DHIS-2 (District Health Information Software 2) at the Haut-Katanga Provincial Health Division (National Malaria Control Program: NMCP). Our study sample was exhaustive, with a sample size of 2,535,744 cases. Malaria cases were recorded. The data were extracted from DHIS-2. Data analysis and processing were performed using Excel 2021, QGIS (Quantum Geographic Information System) 3.24, and Stata 18 software. Results: Between 2017 and 2024, 2,535,744 cases were recorded in Haut-Katanga. The peak incidences coincided with the rainy season (63.67%). Mortality also showed strong seasonality, reaching a peak crude rate of 0.09 deaths per 1000 Ininhabitants in February. Limited access to insecticide-treated bed nets (36.36%) contributed to maintaining active transmission. Conclusion: The study confirms a strong correlation between climate variations and malaria dynamics in Haut-Katanga. The results highlight the importance of intensifying targeted interventions during the rainy season.