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This came after the realisation that malaria cases were too high along the country’s border districts despite putting the same effort in eradicating mosquitoes in all parts of the country.
Malaria cases in border districts range between 68 and 195 cases per 1 000 people, compared to the central parts of the country where they range between zero and three for every 1 000 people.
Speaking at the official launch of the Zambia-Zimbabwe Cross Border Malaria Initiative in Livingstone, Zambia recently, Health and Child Welfare Minister Douglas Mombeshora said partnerships with the neighbouring countries would help the situation.
“There is no doubt that joint co-ordination of malaria control interventions, harmonisation of policies and tools, synchronisation of operations and joint collaboration would accelerate reduction of malaria transmission among the border communities and contribute significantly to malaria elimination,” he said.
For that reason, Zimbabwe had since signed an agreement with the Ministry of Health in Zambia aimed at synchronising all malaria activities and policies in districts along the Zambezi Valley.
Dr Mombeshora said the agreement was expected to result in elimination of malaria in districts along the borders of the two countries.
“The vision of this initiative is to have a malaria-free Trans Zambezi community, with social and economic prosperity by 2020,” he said.
“And its mission is to harmonise policies, tools for malaria interventions, synchronise operations, mobilise partnerships, empower communities and promote exchange of best practice and information in real time.”
Dr Mombeshora said the partnership was expected to accelerate response efforts to meet the Millennium Development Goals by 2015.
He said there was no specific budget for the initiative, but countries would be expected to use their usual malaria budgets.
The Zam-Zim cross-border malaria initiative is the second collaborative programme for malaria after Zimbabwe signed another deal code-named the Trans-Zambezi Malaria Initiative. The Trans-Zambezi Malaria Initiative involves Angola, Botswana, Namibia, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
Zambia’s Health Minister Dr Joseph Kasonde said the collaboration was the only way the two countries could achieve some of its set targets on malaria.
He said efforts to control malaria were sometimes restricted by borders, yet mosquitoes knew no boundaries.
“We hope this initiative will start showing results towards elimination of malaria in the next two years,” Dr Kasonde said.
Earlier on, the two ministers donated insecticide-treated mosquito nets to families in Nsongwe village, Livingstone, as a sign of their commitment to the collaboration.
Beneficiaries said they were thrilled that they would now enjoy peaceful nights because of the mosquito nets.
Nurse-in-charge at Nsongwe rural health post in Zambia, Clarina Sumbwanyambe, said cases of malaria were minimal during this period after peaking between January and February.
“At times we spent the whole day without treating anyone of malaria,” she said.
Partners from the Global Fund, World Health Organisation, United Nations and senior health officials from both Zimbabwe and Zambia attended the Zam-Zim launch.
All the partners hailed the collaborative initiative and promised to assist the countries financially when need arose.
Global Fund project co-ordinator in Zimbabwe Mrs Lolanda Fortes said her organisation had set aside US$800 000 to support the initiative.
Online Reporter