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| October 7, 2001 | Sunday | Rajab 19, 1422 |
PESHAWAR, Oct 6: The expected mass movement in Afghanistan (7.5 million people) may significantly increase the occurrence of malaria in many areas and it is expected that focal epidemics will occur.
Health Net International expects massive outbreaks of malaria in the north, north east and east of Afghanistan. It is now the season for the lethal malaria (P.Falciparum) that can kill a child in one day if left untreated.
Afghanistan is one of the most endemic malaria countries of Asia ranking fourth in the world for malaria prevalence. Out of a population of 20 million, an estimated 2.5 million people get malaria ever year (WHO estimate).
Malaria breakouts are feared following mass movements of displaced people who will look to stay in areas with water availability like riverbeds that are also rich breeding sites for mosquitos.
Those who sleep in open spaces or tents are vulnerable to mosquito bites. A rise in malaria case is expected when people move from endemic areas to non-endemic areas, introducing malaria to people who had no or little malaria before.
Currently there is no malaria control and treatment facilities in place for IDPs.
Health Net International called for large scale malaria treatment and prevention for the new internally displaced people in Afghanistan and to the newly arriving refugees in Pakistan.
Health Net International has been the leading agency for malaria control in Afghanistan (funded by the European Union) and Pakistan (funded by UNHCR) since 1992. It has played a pioneering role in the development of new and innovative cost effective and sustainable strategies for the control and prevention of malaria. It has regional offices in Kabul, Mazar-i-Sharif, Jalalabad, Kandahar and a sub office in Khost and has been instrumental in coordinating the fight against malaria. It works with other NGOs, the MoPH and UN agencies in the training of staff in the malaria control and prevention. It has been the first organization to introduce treated bed nets to this region. The social marketing programme that has been responsible for the uptake of 300,000 bed nets is the largest in Asia and HNI is justly proud of this achievement.
UNI has also been able to develop new strategies through an ongoing research programme which has thrown up ideas for other parts of the world that are also afflicted by this malady. These are integrated vector control strategies including personal protection measures like the use of treated Chadors and nets, cattle sponging, focal spraying and the use of good diagnosis and treatment.
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