Zim winning battle against malaria

Rumbidzayi Zinyuke

Senior Health Reporter

ZIMBABWE has made remarkable progress in the fight against malaria, recording a 93 percent decline over the past two decades.

Malaria remains a major public health disease prioritised for elimination through control of the mosquitoes that spread the parasite and through ensuring that there are no infected people so the mosquito has nothing to carry if the person is bitten.

According to statistics from the Ministry of Health and Child Care’s Malaria Report for November 2022, malaria declined from 136 cases per 1 000 population in 2 000 to 9 cases per 1 000 population in 2021.

“However, the road has not been smooth as natural disasters including cyclones Dineo in 2017 and Idai in 2019 and Covid-19 in 2020 threatened to reverse the gains as the events were associated with increases in malaria.

“However, the Ministry of Health and Child Care with support from other partners and funders ensured that the community continues to get malaria prevention and elimination commodities for free,” the Ministry said.

Between the first week and week 43 of this year, there was a reduction of 7,2 percent in malaria cases compared to the same period last year.

However, the number of malaria deaths during this period rose to 156 in that period this year as compared to 123 reported last year.

Manicaland, Mashonaland East and Mashonaland Central are the most affected provinces accounting for 84 percent of the malaria burden in the country.

Malaria is caused by a parasite that is spread through a bite from an infected female anopheles mosquito.

Approximately 67,5 percent of the population reside in malaria risk areas and everyone is at risk but pregnant women, children under the age of 5 years, the elderly, those living with chronic conditions and travellers from non-malaria transmission areas are more vulnerable due to reduced immunity.

In Zimbabwe, malaria transmission increases from November through to May with a peak transmission from February to May. This coincides with the rainy season which increases the mosquito breeding sites.

Zimbabwe uses malaria control and elimination strategies certified by the World Health Organisation, including vector control through indoor residual spraying, use of long-lasting insecticidal nets, and to a limited extent larval source management among others.

Vector control remains one of the most important strategies for prevention, control and elimination of malaria by controlling the mosquitoes.

Zimbabwe is now implementing malaria elimination activities in 30 districts that have transmission rates of at least 4 cases per 1 000 population. To ensure that the communities are protected against the disease, the Government is targeting to roll out indoor residual spraying in 25 districts to protect a population of 2,8 million.

“The country also rotates the chemical used for indoor residual spraying to manage and prevent chemical resistance. Currently, the Ministry of Health and Child Care is conducting indoor residual spraying.

“We urge all communities in areas that are going to be sprayed to participate actively during spraying,” the Ministry said.

The Ministry also has an active case management strategy whereby all suspected cases of malaria are tested and only positive cases are treated with effective medicines. This is done at all levels of health care from community level to central hospitals.

At community level, community based health workers have been trained on how to recognise signs and symptoms of malaria while adequate medicines have been procured and are already in all districts to ensure prompt treatment of malaria cases.

If malaria is not treated early, it can progress to complicated malaria which is a life threatening condition.