Malawi records over 6 million malaria cases
Over 6.9 million cases of malaria and 2551 deaths were registered in Malawi last year.
RUSTENBURG, April 26 (ANA) – Over 6.9 million cases of malaria were registered in Malawi last year, the ministry of health said.
In a statement published on the ministry of health’s social media platforms to mark World Malaria Day on Sunday, the ministry said a total of 2,551 people died from malaria in 2020, at least 1,401 of these deaths occurred among children under the age of five years.
“For every 100 patients visiting health facilities, 36 of them are treated for malaria. Out of every 100 under-five children suffering from malaria, only 31 are taken to a competent health worker for treatment within 24 hours upon onset of signs/symptoms,” read the statement.
The ministry said for every 100 patients admitted to health facilities, 15 of them were attributable to malaria.
Malawi aimed to be malaria-free country by 2030.
According to World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Director for Africa, Dr Matshidiso Moeti, the continent accounts for virtually 94 percent of global malaria cases and deaths.
“…Our countries have made progress in preventing both. In the past 20 years, more than 1.2 billion malaria cases, and 7.1 million deaths, have been averted in the region,” she said in a statement last week.
“Algeria was certified malaria free in 2019, and Botswana, Ethiopia, the Gambia, Ghana, Namibia and South Africa achieved the 2020 milestones for malaria reduction. Cabo Verde has maintained zero malaria status since 2018,” Moeti said.
“We still have many challenges and a long way to go. The region did not attain the 2020 malaria milestones. While new cases dropped by over nine percent every five years between 2000 and 2015, in the last five years, this progress has stalled, with incidence dropping by less than two percent.”
She said as of 2019, one in three at-risk households in the region did not have an insecticide-treated bed net and nearly half of the children under-five did not sleep under a net.
Two-thirds of pregnant women did not receive malaria preventive treatment and without this protection, more than 11 million pregnant women got malaria, and 820,000 new-born children had low birth weight.
“Innovations will be critical to speed-up progress towards zero malaria. So, we are excited that Ghana, Kenya and Malawi have delivered more than 1.7 million doses of the RTS S vaccine. This is a promising additional tool in malaria prevention,” she said.
– African News Agency (ANA); Editing by Devereaux Morkel
