'Ending malaria for good' a tall order for Uganda-official says

Apr 13, 2016

“Instead of Malaria Control, the President has on several occasions referred to us as a Malaria Conservation Programme. I guess it beats his understanding why we can’t end malaria,” he said.

With a few days left to the commemoration of International Malaria Day under the theme, ‘End Malaria for Good', ministry of health officials revealed that this is a tall order for Uganda.

In an exclusive interview with New Vision, the manager, Malaria Control Programme, Dr Jimmy Opigo explained that unless strategic interventions such as mass spraying and mass drug administration are adopted, malaria will remain a public health challenge in the country.

"Instead of Malaria Control, the President has on several occasions referred to us as a Malaria Conservation Programme. I guess it beats his understanding why we can't end malaria," he said.

He argued that if the country resolved to set aside a day of national spraying, malaria vectors will be eliminated and, therefore, an end to malaria.

A 2013 study titled ‘The effect of indoor residual spraying on malaria and anaemia in a high-transmission area of northern Uganda' by  Steinhadt LC and others revealed that carefully managed indoor residual spraying (IRS) can significantly reduce malaria burden in high-transmission setting.

Parasitemia (quantitative content of parasites in blood) prevalence among children less than five years of age was lower in the two IRS districts compared with the non-sprayed district revealed the study.

The study also showed that anaemia prevalence was also significantly lower in the two IRS districts compared to the non-sprayed districts.

According to World Health Organisation (WHO), countries in the malaria elimination phase are Algeria, Argentina, Azerbaijan, the Islamic Republic of Iran, the Republic of Korea, Saudi Arabia, Sri Lanka, Tajikistan and Turkey.

Since 2007, four countries namely the United Arab Emirates, Morocco, Turkmenistan and Armenia were certified as having eliminated malaria within their borders.

"Sustained political commitment, adequate resourcing and effective partnerships are all fundamental to the success of malaria elimination programmes," WHO states.

Uganda according to WHO is still at the control stage. The main objective at this stage is reducing malaria cases and deaths by providing access to preventive methods, diagnostic testing and treatment to the entire population at risk.

A number of interventions such as mass distribution of long lasting insecticide treated mosquito have been earmarked by government to control malaria.

World Malaria Day is celebrated on April 25, every year.

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