Government’s strategy to working with partners and communities has led to a positive response to reducing malaria by 66 per cent in the country.
Ministry of Health Spokesperson, Dr Kamoto Mbewe, said the world health assessment has proved that malaria has reduced in Zambia.
Dr Mbewe said government has worked very hard with its partners while the community has responded well to reduce the number one-killer disease through effective measures, such as taking the right drug, to treat the diseases.
Dr Mbewe added that more people in the country have resorted to using mosquito nets, especially the treated ones, hence the good result of reducing malaria.
Dr Mbewe, said this in an interview with ZANIS in Lusaka today.
He pointed out residue spraying in most residential area has contributed to mosquitoes dying, hence reducing the transmission of malaria.
Dr Mbewe also said the use of effective drugs, such as coartem has also reduced malaria cases because it works very effectively.
Dr Mbewe said earlier, people were using chloroquin which later became resistant, resulting to increased malaria cases and loss of lives.
He also commended the Malaria Control Centre for a deliberate policy to reduce malaria through free distribution of treated mosquito nets in most urban and rural areas, with specific interest to expectant mothers and under five children.
Dr Mbewe said to reduce a disease such as malaria, it is always important for government to work hard with its partners, while the positive response from the community makes everything easier.
Dr Mbewe said it is important to keep the figures low so that few malaria cases can be recorded, and expressed optimism that malaria could be eliminated.
He observed that if people unite, even the cases of HIV and AIDS would reduce drastically and the war against it would be won.
ZANIS
EXCELLENT, THIS IS WHAT WE CALL MOVING FORWARD..LOVELY GUYS
I hope these statistics are rekliable, I will do my own research to verify.
oops! Typing error in #2: reliable
Thats great news. Malaria is no joke.
Inga HIV/AID
Thank goodness for choloquine being useless , thats the worst drug ever that gave me nightmares
#6, Chloroquin mwandini, to this day I can’t bring my self to taking any pills.
Twalumba basa
This 66% reduction is within what period??????????From the time the earth was created?
Too good to be true.MR Mbewe, how come you did not know that kapoka was busy stealing in your ministry
Chloroquine was the best ever drug discovered to treat malaria but due to patient noncompliance to completing the course we helped the parasite develop resistance. Forget the horrendous taste and terrible side effects, it worked very effectively. After taking 6 to 8 of the requisite 10 or 12 tablets to complete the course a lot of patients ‘felt better’ and didn’t feel the need to complete the course when, in actual fact the parasites had not been completely removed from the blood stream. The effect of this was that the remaining parasites mutated and effectively become chloroquine-proof. Now we are seeing resistance to coartem in some parts of the world. I dread the day that the coartem-resistant strains will land in mother Zed, cus there are no new drugs for malaria treament coming…
#11 thanks for that detailed explanation.
My house in Kabulonga was sprayed. Tthe mosquitoes If aything came back with a vengeance. With the backdrop of the financial scams in the Health Ministry it is either the medicine used was not genuine or was heavily diluted. The concept is not new . In the mine township in Muf in the late 50s and 60s I never saw a mosquito until I came to Unza in 1969. The mines used to spray standing water and the inside of houses with DDT. This was not the case with ndola espeacially in Lubuto were I stayed briefly in 1970. The programme has to be sustained because if we rest on our laurels they will come back with a vengeance. Somebody should ensure that there is no stealing. If you must steal, like Mobutu used to advise his people steal a little otherwise you will be caught. Remember prevention..
quite Interesting news! I hope we can deal with HIV in a similar way!
From this story, is it the chloroquine or the parasite which is resistant?
Thank you for the good writeup. It actually used to be a enjoyment account it. Glance complicated to far introduced agreeable from you! By the way, how could we keep up a correspondence?