Awarded for achieving malaria Millennium Development Goal target

POLOKWANE – This goal was reached thanks to the provincial department of health’s contribution in the fight against malaria in the country.

The department confirmed that malaria was viewed as a priority disease in Limpopo due to its potential to cause epidemics with accompanying high morbidity and mortality.

In order to control and ultimately eliminate malaria in Limpopo, the department has the following strategies in place:

• To reduce and keep the incidence of Malaria at the lowest practical level through indoor residual spraying
• To prevent Malaria deaths and reduce the Malaria case fatality rate

The strategies are implemented through intensive indoor residual spraying where teams from the department visit every household in the malaria risk areas to spray the inside surfaces with an insecticide with a long lasting activity. Also tracking of malaria epidemics in order to predict and detect epidemics early, thus implement activities to prevent and contain them.

The department also implemented these strategies by informing communities through health promotions about the prevention of malaria and early treatment seeking behaviour. Also the provision of early diagnosis and prompt treatment to malaria patients.

The department said during 2000/2001 when the Millennium Development Goals were agreed upon, 10 423 malaria cases and 84 malaria deaths were reported in Limpopo.

Since 2000, cases declined consistently with limited upsurges reported in 2005, 2006, 2010, 2011 and 2014/2015.

The department was however in a position to deal with the such upsurges. During 2015/2016 cases were down to 1 017 and 11 deaths.