Malaria likely to bite beyond 2018
WHILE the global community prepares for annual World Malaria Day on Tuesday, the Department of Health admitted it would not meet its target of eliminating malaria by 2018 as was set out in the 2012-2018 malaria strategic plan.
Mozambique, South Africa, Swaziland (Mosaswa) and Zimbabwe will work with stakeholders to reset the new malaria elimination targets. Malaria is endemic in Limpopo, Mpumalanga and Kwazulu-natal.
Malaria Day is an occasion to highlight the need for continued investment and sustained political commitment for prevention and control.
It is also aimed at pushing countries for prevention than cure.
This year’s global theme is “End Malaria for Good”. In the lead-up to Tuesday, the World Health Organisation (WHO) was also shining a spotlight on prevention, a critical strategy for reducing the toll of a disease that continues to kill more than 400 000 people annually.
According to the department, since 2000, malaria prevention has played an important role in reducing cases and deaths, through the scale up of insecticide-treated nets and indoor spraying with insecticides.
WHO statistics show that at least 3.2 billion of the world’s people were still at risk of contracting malaria, and an estimated 350-500 million clinical malaria cases occur annually.
More than 600 000 malaria deaths occur in Africa and most are children under 5.
About 60% of these are clinical cases, and about 80% of deaths occur in sub-saharan Africa. Malaria constitutes a major barrier to social and economic development in the region.
Dr Eunice Misiani of the malaria directorate within the department said it was impossible for the country to keep to its target.
She said South Africa recorded a high percentage of imported cases (77% of the 5 775 cases in 2016) from neighbouring high transmission countries.
She said it was hoped that the malaria cross-border initiatives between Mozambique, South Africa, Swaziland and Zimbabwe would lead to a reduction of malaria cases along the border areas in the northeastern part of the country.
“We will, however, work with the World Health Organisation to set new targets. An overall incidence of 0.4 local malaria cases per 100 population at risk was reported in the country during the 2016/17 financial year.”
Misiani advised that people living in and visitors to KZN should not panic. She added that the recent statistics showed a substantial improvement in terms of prevention in the province.
“KZN is well on its way to elimination. The province reported the lowest incidence of 0.014 local cases per 1 000 population at risk during the financial year that ended.
“Over the past two years the Global Fund to Fight Aids, Tuberculosis and Malaria has approved proposals for the establishment of the elimination in cross-border collaboration between Mosaswa, Zimbabwe, Angola, Namibia, Botswana and Zambia with Mosaswa malaria initiatives.
“It is only through concerted efforts with various partners and governments that we can win the war against malaria, because mosquitoes know no borders.”
Nhlanhla Ngwenya of Tourism KZN said the provincial industry was not affected.
“KZN is not a high-risk area. We do not have any programmes that speak to malaria, such is driven by customs within Home Affairs and Department of Health.”