Chronicle Editor
Leonard Ncube, Victoria Falls Reporter
THE Ministry of Health and Child Care has resumed indoor residual spraying (IRS) in mosquito-prone Hwange District following an increase in malaria cases in some wards.
The district has recorded about 700 malaria cases since January, a majority of them reported at Lukosi and Kamativi hospitals.
On Sunday, 650 cases had been reported at Lukosi Hospital in St Mary’s while 39 had been recorded in Kamativi.
Health authorities have said the situation is dire and Lukosi Hospital is failing to cope with admissions, with plans underway to move malaria patients to 5 Miles District Hospital near Hwange town to create space and also ensure safety of pregnant women at Lukosi maternity ward.
Over the years Hwange District had done well in keeping malaria cases low.
The Ministry of Health had for the past two years replaced IRS with mosquito nets distribution.
The latest outbreak started in the first week of January.
The Ministry, working with stakeholders, is mobilising resources to start spraying in Change, Nekabandana and Kamativi wards which are the worst affected.
Some cases have also been reported in Hwange urban.
Hwange District Medical Officer Dr Fungayi Musinami said the situation is dire.
“We have tried as the Ministry of Health to supply Lukosi Hospital with test kits for all those that show symptoms but it is difficult to cope as the admission capacity at the hospital is not able to keep up with the numbers.
“Now we have an infection control challenge and we need to balance. What we have proposed is to move malaria admissions to 5 Miles Hospital and let Lukosi remain with conventional patients and maternity.
“It is difficult to monitor use of nets so we want to spray hotspots starting with Change and Nekabandana areas because most cases are coming from there. Hopefully we are also going to do larviciding in water ponds there,” said Dr Musinami.
She said the district dispatched a vehicle to collect chemicals from Lupane yesterday in anticipation of commencing IRS today.
The Ministry is using Emergency Preparedness Funds for the programme.
Dr Musinami said they are struggling with capacity especially at Lukosi and food to feed patients while on admission.
No deaths have been recorded so far and no pregnant woman has been affected.
On Sunday, a total of eleven new cases were reported from 49 tests, and one of the cases involved a child who is less than five-years-old in Dinde.
Addressing stakeholders at a recent Civil Protection Committee meeting in Hwange, Dr Musinami implored all institutions and organisations to have emergency preparedness plans.
Stakeholders have appealed to companies operating in the district to plough back to the community by donating towards improvement of health services. — @ncubeleon
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