High malaria incidence rates worry Mubukwanu

North-Western Province Minister, Nathaniel Mubukwanu has flagged off the distribution of mosquito nets in Mushindamo district. Mushindamo district has received a total of 49,450 mosquito nets meant for distribution while 300 nets have already been given out to residents of St. Dorothy area. Mr Mubukwanu who was also in the district to check on progress made on the construction of Kasapa mini hospital has expressed concern with the high malaria incidence rate in the region. Mr Mubukwanu has since urged district leadership to ensure all stakeholders play a role in reducing the prevalence rate of malaria in Mushindamo.  “The fight against malaria is a collective effort that should use multi-sectoral approach to sensitize people on the correct use of nets and importance of having their homes sprayed,” he said. Mr Mubukwanu said that government has invested huge sums of money in the elimination of malaria because it wants to see a malaria free Zambia where people are more productive.  “Government has invested so much in the malaria elimination program. So please let us ensure we sensitize people on the correct and consistent use of misquote nets,” he said.  And Mushindamo district Health Director, Edgar Mutimushi said the malaria incidence rate stands at 500 per 1,000 population.  Dr Mutimushi said community sensitization on malaria prevention strategies is still on going and efforts are being made to ensure people use the treated nets correctly so that the incidence rate may reduce at the end of the exercise.  He has however, commended government through the malaria elimination council for the huge investment made in ending malaria by 2021. And speaking in a separate interview with ZANIS, Mushindamo district malaria elimination officer, Nawa Mutakela said 6,835 out of 7,256 targeted households have been sprayed under the indoor residue spraying (IRS) exercise. Mr Nawa said the field officers that were deployed to conduct the exercise for 28 days conducted IRS amidst challenges of refusal by some residents. “We could not reach our target because some families practice shifting cultivation while others were refusing the officers from spraying their homes,” he said. Mr Nawa added that the district has received a total of 49,450 mosquito nets for distribution and so far 300 have been given out to the people in St. Dorothy. He said Mushindamo will also benefit from the mass drug administration (MDA) that will require all residents in the district to take drugs for malaria in an effort to prevent the transmission of a parasite from one person to another.