Govt works on new malaria interventions

GOVERNMENT is working on new malaria interventions in Mutare to complement the Indoor Residual Spraying (IRS) exercise following an increase in malaria cases and resultant deaths in the city.

Mutare City was declared a malaria zone recently following high incidence of the disease, which saw more than 3 200 positive cases being identified and about 62 deaths, the highest number of malaria-related deaths in the province.

IRS is the application of long-acting chemical insecticides on the inside walls and roofs of habitable rooms or domestic animal shelters.

It is the most effective method of controlling adult mosquitoes and targets their resting surfaces.

Provincial epidemiology and diseases control officer in the Ministry of Health and Child Care Dr Munyaradzi Mukuzunga recently said Government would make a follow up to see which interventions would work better alongside the IRS.

“IRS in the cities is complicated and needs combined efforts,” he said.

“Complementary interventions such as active case finding, larviciding and environmental management are needed.

“For Mutare, we are still following up on the interventions we made last year to see how we can go about it.”

Government began the IRS exercise in Manicaland in October and is scheduled to complete the exercise this week.

Dr Mukuzunga said the 2017 spraying season was successful, with five of the completed districts achieving at least 85 percent coverage on sprayed rooms.