Results & Impact

With assistance from The Carter Center, the nations' health officials established a cross-border pilot project in 2008 to target malaria in Ouanaminthe, Haiti (pop. 92,000), and Dajabón, Dominican Republic (pop. 27,000). The project included purchase and distribution of insecticide-treated bed nets; provision of laboratory supplies, motorbikes, and other equipment; and training for health staff. The Haitian and Dominican Ministries were awarded the Malaria Champion in the Americas Award in 2017 for their commitment to this project. 

In 2022, a total of 14,426 cases of malaria were reported in Hispaniola (14,090 (97.7%) in Haiti and 336 (2.3%) in the Dominican Republic). This represents a 31.7% increase in cases since 2021 (10,951 cases), yet an 83.3% decrease in cases since 2010, indicating that the national programs are achieving success against malaria. The Dominican Republic is included in the World Health Organization’s E-2025 Initiative as one of the countries that will receive technical guidance and specialized support in its last miles towards elimination.  For lymphatic filariasis, 100% of districts in the Dominican Republic and 87% of districts in Haiti have met the criteria to stop mass drug administration.

Dr. Luccène Desir and Dr. Madsen Beau De Rochars discussed mass drug administration (MDA) post distribution with community drug distributors during a supervision visit in Tabarre, Haiti. (Photo: The Carter Center/ Hector Emanuel)

Ani Esther Rapsant, a community drug distributor known to everyone as Lula, discusses drug administration for lymphatic filariasis in a “batey,” or farmworker village, with Dr. Manuel Gonzales of the Dominican Republic’s federal ministry of health. (Photo: The Carter Center/ Emily Staub)