adminHarare —The Zimbabwe Government said on Tuesday over one million mosquito nets have been distributed throughout the country so far ahead of the malaria transmission season.
The transmission season generally stretches from November to May.
Malaria is the third commonest killer after Aids and tuberculosis in Zimbabwe.
Health and Child Welfare malaria programme manager Dr Joseph Mberikunashe said preparations for the transmission season were at an advanced stage. “We are going to start indoor residual spraying from October 1 all the way to December, the usual preventive measure that we always use for the 45 malaria prone districts.
Dr Mberikunashe said over 1 200 spray operators from the communities would be trained while at least 3 000 community based workers had been trained on proper treatment of malaria. “Spraying chemicals have already been procured,” he said.
Zimbabwe uses both Dichlorodiphenyltrichloroe-thane (DDT) and Parathyroid depending on the commercial and agricultural activities in the different areas. About 89 percent of the population in Zimbabwe is protected from malaria by indoor residual spraying, while insecticidal nets protect the remainder.
Meanwhile, Zimbabwe and Zambia have agreed to forge a common front in the fight against malaria along their shared border that straddles the Zambezi valley.
Dr Mberikunashe said the Zimbabwe-Zambia cooperation to fight malaria which was launched in April this year was going on well and activities were expected to intensify during transmission season.
“We have been holding meetings between the districts of the two countries and we hope as we start training the spray operators we will be teaming up with our Zambian colleagues so that they understand the technique the same way,” he said.
Experts say that the Zambezi valley provides ideal conditions for a high natural prevalence of plasmodium falciparum, the mosquito species that causes the deadliest form of malaria. — New Ziana
Online Reporter