Online Reporter
Fungai Lupande
Mashonaland Central Bureau
MASHONALAND Central Province is battling its deadliest malaria outbreak in years after recording 51 250 malaria cases and 107 deaths in the first four months of the year, giving the province the highest malaria burden in the country.
There is growing concern among authorities over rising fatalities linked to delayed treatment and changing transmission patterns.
Although overall infections remain below the 90 334 cases recorded during the province’s 2020 peak outbreak, health authorities say the disease is becoming increasingly deadly.
The province’s malaria case fatality rate has surged from 56 deaths per 100 000 cases in 2018 to 208 deaths per 100 000 cases this year, indicating that more infected people are dying from complications associated with the disease.
Speaking at a stakeholders’ engagement meeting, provincial medical director Dr Clemence Tshuma said malaria transmission was spreading into districts that were previously considered low-burden areas.
He identified Mount Darwin, Centenary, Muzarabani and Mbire as the worst-affected districts.
Mount Darwin recorded the highest number of malaria-related deaths, followed by Rushinga, Shamva, Centenary and Guruve.
“Communal farmers and students have been identified as the most affected groups, with artisanal miners and gold panners also carrying a heavy burden due to prolonged outdoor exposure and unsafe environmental conditions,” said Dr Tshuma.
He said tobacco farming activities had become a major driver of malaria transmission, particularly during curing and grading seasons.
“Tobacco farming has become a major driver of transmission, particularly during curing and grading seasons when farmers sleep in or store tobacco inside rooms that were recently sprayed with insecticides, reducing the effectiveness of Indoor Residual Spraying,” he said.
Dr Tshuma added that stream-bank cultivation and increased outdoor sleeping caused by high temperatures were exposing communities to mosquito bites during peak transmission periods.
Artisanal mining operations along the Great Dyke were also identified as a major concern, with abandoned mining pits accumulating stagnant water that provides breeding grounds for mosquitoes.
The provincial medical director said delayed treatment was contributing significantly to rising deaths, as many patients initially seek help from faith healers or use unlicensed medicines before visiting health facilities.
He said the delay often results in patients arriving at clinics with severe complications such as cerebral malaria, jaundice and kidney failure.
He also highlighted resistance by some communities to rectal artesunate — a life-saving pre-referral treatment for severe malaria — because of cultural and spiritual beliefs.
Despite the worsening mortality trends, Dr Tshuma said the province had achieved 91 percent Indoor Residual Spraying coverage and continued to distribute insecticide-treated mosquito nets, conduct larviciding programmes and intensify public awareness campaigns through radio programmes and community outreach initiatives.
