The Sunday Mail
Debra Matabvu —
Zimbabwe is on high alert following a malaria outbreak in Southern Africa due to incessant rains experienced in the region in recent months.
Health ministers and officials from most Sadc countries gathered in South Africa last week and adopted a number of strategies to contain the outbreak.
In an interview with The Sunday Mail, the regional co-ordinator for Eastern and Southern Africa on Malaria Elimination, Brigadier-General (Dr) Kaka Madambo said one of the key strategy was to include screening of the disease at border posts.
“We have adopted an action plan which includes monitoring the movement people as well as screening of people at border posts to check if they do not have the parasite,” he said. “As member of the E8, we are also using a grant that we have to set up screening points which will have treatment facilities as well anti-malaria kits.
“This will ensure that even individuals within areas near our boarders but do not have access to treatment will be able to be assisted.
“Member states observed that the outbreak has been also caused by some countries that have failed to reach the 75 percent spraying target required by WHO, with only Zimbabwe and Swaziland attaining the required target,” he said.
According to Zimbabwe’s Health and Child Care Ministry’s latest disease surveillance weekly report, 89 261 malaria cases and 151 deaths were reported in the past two months.
Of these, 1 807 reported cases and four deaths were of children under the age of five years.
The highest number of malaria cases were recorded in Manicaland province (7 662), followed by Mashonaland East (4 008).
Health Minister Dr David Parirenyatwa said, “We are going to increase treatment services areas as well prevention drugs especially to those areas that are highly prone to Malaria and also re spray these areas. We are also going to do the same to all provinces in the country.”
As of March 5, 10 deaths had been recorded in Manicaland, while five deaths were recorded in Mashonaland East and Masvingo. Both Matabelelend South and Harare recorded two deaths each, while Matabeleland North and Bulawayo had one apiece.
In Namibia, 15 people have been died due to the outbreak with 6 000 new cases reported.
According to WHO, malaria remains a disease of public significance in Sadc, responsible for 20 percent of childhood deaths.
