By Kuda Pembere
The Community Working Group on Health (CWGH) joining the world in commemorating World Malaria Day has noted with concern how climate change is reversing the gains in controlling malaria cases in Sub-Saharan Africa where children and pregnant women are becoming the most affected.
With Zimbabwe being a Sub-Saharan country, malaria killed 29 people from the 15 400 cases that were recorded.
Having the highest number of cases in Zimbabwe was Mashonaland Central with 7 561 cases followed by Manicaland with 3 325, and Mashonaland East 1 885 while Masvingo had 568 cases.
These were the most affected provinces which accounted for close to 93 percent of recorded cases.
CWGH Executive Director Mr Itai Rusike bemoaned how the pregnant women and children were the most vulnerable.
“The fight against malaria is one of humanity’s most significant public health successes. Great progress was made in malaria control over the last two decades, resulting in a reduction in overall cases and deaths. But after years of steady declines, malaria cases and deaths are on the rise.
“Climate change and increasing resistance to insecticides are jeopardizing the significant gains that the Global Fund partnership has fought to achieve over the last two decades. Nearly half the world’s population is at risk for malaria.
“The disease is particularly devastating for pregnant women and young children in sub-Saharan Africa. Of the 608,000 people who died of malaria in 2022, 95% lived in sub-Saharan Africa – and most of them were children under 5,” he said.
Using new innovations in the malaria fight, Mr Rusike said, can protect people from the disease.
“With the knowledge of these obstacles comes the power to defeat them. Fighting back with a combination of new tools and targeted prevention, testing and treatment methods – that reach the people who need protection most – is the way to accelerate progress to end malaria for good.
“Equitable access to proven and effective tools – including insecticide-treated mosquito nets, seasonal malaria chemoprevention for children under 5, preventive treatment during pregnancy, indoor residual spraying and robust testing and treatment protocols – is essential to keep people safe from malaria. Innovations have the power to transform the fight against this disease.
“New mosquito nets, which use two mosquito-fighting insecticides instead of one, have been proven to be dramatically more effective than other nets at protecting people from malaria-carrying mosquitoes, “he said.
He added, “Malaria vaccines for children – when thoughtfully deployed together with this suite of existing tools and as part of comprehensive national malaria control plans – can also contribute to getting back on track to defeat malaria.”
The Global Fund has been funding the fight against malaria in Zimbabwe through strengthening primary health service delivery which includes the community health workers.
“ The Global Fund invests in strengthening health systems to defeat malaria. This includes supporting the community health workers in Zimbabwe who bring lifesaving malaria prevention and care services to the people who need them most.
“These investments benefit the system more widely; for example, community health workers are being trained to diagnose and treat diseases beyond malaria, and to incorporate malaria prevention measures alongside other health care services. Today, a child dies from malaria (globally) every minute.
“By harnessing the power of the existing tools to fight malaria and ensuring equitable access to game-changing innovations, we can prevent infections and deaths and get closer to ending malaria by 2030,” Mr Rusike said.
