Question: Does the presence of COVID-19 affect malaria treatment?

Answer passage (source: WHO):
page_title: Q&A: Malaria and COVID-19
section_headers: Why is WHO particularly concerned about the spread of COVID-19 in malaria-affected areas?
section_content: Experience from previous disease outbreaks has shown the disruptive effect on
health service delivery and the consequences for diseases such as malaria. The
2014-2016 Ebola outbreak in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone, for example,
undermined malaria control efforts and led to a massive increase in malaria-
related illness and death in the 3 countries.
A new modelling analysis from
WHO and partners, published on 23 April, found that the number of malaria deaths in
sub-Saharan Africa could double this year alone if there are severe
disruptions in access to insecticide-treated nets and antimalarial medicines
due to COVID-19. These projections reinforce the critical importance of
sustaining efforts to prevent, detect and treat malaria during the pandemic.
In all regions, protective measures should be utilized to minimize the risk of
COVID-19 transmission between patients, communities and health providers. WHO
and partners have developed guidance
on how to safely maintain malaria
prevention and treatment services in COVID-19 settings.

Reviewer feedback on this answer:
Has detailed information about the projected impact of coronavirus on malaria treatment and deaths.
The answer provides a lot of detail about both diseases as referred in the question.

Reviewer ratings:
Excellent
Excellent

Answer passage (source: WHO):
page_title: Q&A: Malaria and COVID-19
section_headers: What additional special measures may be needed in the context of COVID-19?
section_content: In addition to routine approaches to malaria control, there may be a case for
special measures in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic – such as a temporary
return to presumptive malaria treatment, or the use of mass drug
administration – which have proved useful in some previous emergencies. ****
Presumptive malaria treatment refers to treatment of a suspected malaria case
without the benefit of diagnostic confirmation (e.g. through a rapid
diagnostic test). This approach is typically reserved for extreme
circumstances, such as disease in settings where prompt diagnosis is no longer
possible.
Mass drug administration (MDA) is a WHO-recommended approach for rapidly
reducing malaria mortality and morbidity during epidemics and in complex
emergency settings. Through MDA, all individuals in a targeted population are
given antimalarial medicines – often at repeated intervals – regardless of
whether or not they show symptoms of the disease.
Such special measures should only be adopted after careful consideration of 2
key aims: lowering malaria-related mortality and keeping health workers and
communities safe. WHO is exploring concrete proposals for when and how to
activate such measures; guidance will be published in due course.

Reviewer feedback on this answer:
Discusses how malaria treatment should be modified in light of the coronavirus epidemic.
The answer specifically relates to both diseases as requested in the question.

Reviewer ratings:
Excellent
Excellent

Answer passage (source: WHO):
page_title: Q&A: Malaria and COVID-19
section_headers: Are there any changes to WHO guidance with respect to malaria diagnosis and treatment?
section_content: WHO guidance remains the same. Countries should not scale back efforts to
detect and treat malaria; doing so would seriously undermine the health and
well-being of millions of people infected with a potentially life-threatening
disease.
As signs and symptoms of malaria and COVID-19 can overlap (such as a fever),
public health messages will need to be adapted in malaria-endemic settings so
that people who have a fever are encouraged to seek immediate treatment rather
than stay at home; without prompt treatment, a mild case of malaria can
rapidly progress to severe illness and death.

Reviewer feedback on this answer:
Discusses the potential threat coronavirus poses to malaria treatment logistics and cautions against scaling them back during the pandemic.
The answer does specifically respond to the question accurately.

Reviewer ratings:
Excellent
Excellent