Hurungwe in major mosquito spraying exercise 

Source: Hurungwe in major mosquito spraying exercise -Newsday Zimbabwe

MALARIA-PRONE Hurungwe district, in Mashonaland West provinvce, will soon embark on a major household spraying programme to curb the spread of the disease.

Hurungwe agriculture extension officer Joseph Nyagweta has pledged to help communicate the exercise to farmers.

“Hurungwe is a farming productive district on tobacco and maize. We will engage farmers with accurate information to take note and heed on the programmes. We need healthy farmers,” Nyagweta said.

Assistant district development co-ordinator Kudakwashe Shoshora said it was important to also engage traditional leaders on the issue.

“Traditional leaders play a pivotal role in communicating with their subjects on malaria as a health right. Be rest assured that the exercise will not be disturbed,” he said.

Komberero Gotoza, a district health promotion officer, also called for community engagement to curb loss of lives to malaria.

“We need to reduce, eliminate malaria and make Hurungwe a malaria-free zone. It is everyone’s responsibility to make the exercise a success,” Gotosa said.

The World Health Organisation recommended the use of dichloro-diphenyl-trichloethane insecticide for in-door residual spraying (IRS), although the chemical was banned for mostly tobacco farming due to its longevity in crops.

IRS helps to control malaria as it kills the mosquito before malaria parasites can develop, thereby reducing the mosquito population.

Last year, IRS achieved 87% of the targeted households.

Malaria-risk population includes pregnant women, children under five years, people suffering from chronic illnesses, farmers, gold panners, people living with HIV and Aids, truck drivers and people of no fixed abode, among others.

Hurungwe has a population of 439 611, according to the 2022 Zimbabwe National Statistics Agency results and a non-governmental organisation, Anglican Cross Boarder Malaria Initiative, which is supporting awareness campaigns in the district.