Minister calls for cross border malaria control

By Violet Nabatanzi
 
The state minister in charge of Primary health care Sarah Opendi has called for a need to work closely with neighbouring partner states in eradicating Malaria so that a uniform approach is implemented.
 
Speaking during the World Malaria Day scientific colloquium at Sheraton hotel in Kampala under the theme Invest in Future; Defeat Malaria Opendi said “mosquitoes or malaria parasites do not need visa to come or go to any part of the World, they cross the borders freely. Therefore there is a need to visualize this impending crisis and invest now so that we defeat malaria.
 
Every year malaria accounts for 243 million cases and 863,000 deaths, 89 percent of which are in Sub-Sahara Africa where a child dies every 45 seconds from malaria.
 
In Uganda it is estimated that malaria kills between 70,000 and 100,000 people every year, the majority of whom are children under the age of five, a death toll that far exceeds that of HIV/AIDS.
 
The disease is the leading cause of morbidity and mortality, and accounts for 25-40 percent of outpatient visits, 15 to 20 percent of all hospital admissions and 9 to 14 percent of all hospital deaths.
 
Opendi said; her ministry is working with development partners to invest in globally acceptable strategies like prevention, integrated vector management, social mobilization, monitoring and evaluation.
 
She added that the ministry is expected to distribute over 20 million long lasting Insecticide treated mosquito nets to all Ugandans using universal coverage of one net for two people.
 
The new World Health Representative (WHO) to Uganda Dr. Wonde Alemu said if the World is to maintain and accelerate progress against Malaria in line with the millennium development goals particularly 6, and to ensure also MDG 4 and 5 go down more funds are urgently required.
 
Alemu said WHO is committed to provide technical support needed to guide the Countries to accelerate Malaria Prevention control efforts towards attainment of MDGs.