Effective malaria control interventions and cooperation by members of the public are key enable a timely and effective elimination of the disease. The call was made by Okavango District Health Management Team (DHMT) Coordinator Dr Bokwena Moali as the district is currently experiencing a sharp rise in malaria cases.
Addressing the Okavango District full council session on Wednesday Moali revealed that the district has so far have registered 511 cases, 1 death and 3 pregnant women infected. She said most of these cases registered are of children aged between the ages of 5 and 14years old mainly males.
Moali noted that Botswana is a malaria endemic country and the Okavango district has the highest number of cases, contributing 82% of the country. The coordinator said malaria cases are prevalent during the transmission season, adding that they started registering cases in week 49 of the year 2024. “A high number of cases was registered on the 4th week of the season, however numbers started decreasing after the 7th week,” Moali noted.
She said most cases are seen at JPK Hospital, Kauxwi, Seronga, Xakao, Beetsha and Skondomboro clinics which are mostly located across the river. However, Moali said that this does not mean that the patients were infected there but that they are treated there. She said that most infections take place at cattle posts and lands.
Moali has since urged leaders in the district to mobilize communities to actively participate in malaria elimination interventions especially by allowing the Indoor Residual Spraying (IRS) team to enter houses for spraying.
The coordinator lamented the difficulties they face when spraying houses highlighting that most structures especially at the farms are not sprayable. She said most houses have no windows, doors, some have spaces where mosquitoes easily enter while others use tents, making spaying less effective
She noted that they have only achieved 46% spraying coverage against their 85% target “The spraying team found 36 471 houses but they only managed to spray 18 865 mainly because most of them are locked at the time of spraying and some people simply refuse to let the team in,” she complained. The cordinator further stated that there is a less usage of mosquito nets while in some houses, people use old and torn ones.
However, Moali said they do contact tracing after a case is registered and treatment is given to those likely to be infected as well. Moali also noted that they have recently received two relief teams to help with the testing and treatment.
Meanwhile the Okavango District Council Chairman Gaopalelwe Ronald has urged the public to seek medical assistance early if they experience symptoms like fever, headaches, muscle pains, vomiting, or yellowing of the eyes as early treatment saves lives. He further urged councillors to encourage their communities to cooperate with the spraying teams.
