KARACHI, Feb 24: Malaria kills one million people, usually children, throughout the world while over 300 million are affected by the disease.
It is also noteworthy that patients developing the acute form of the disease may die within 24 hours. Severe malaria cases are usually not reported in Pakistan.
Discussing in length the key components of the “roll-back malaria initiative”, Dr. Mohammad Arif Munir, Federal Director, Malaria Control Programme, said these initiatives were aimed at intensified action by building partnerships and strong support at the government level, adding that the government at the highest level had endorsed the strategy in 1999 at Cairo.
Dr Munir was presiding over a district implementation planning meeting for the roll-back malaria in two additional districts of Sindh at WHO office here on Monday.
Some of the salient features of the programme also included necessary support to augment diagnostic centres to reduce the reservoirs, multiple cost-effective preventive measures, including proper use of repellents, mosquito nets, operational research, developing partnerships and controlling epidemics.
Creation of a barrier by using insecticide treated or impregnated bed nets can also help avoid other wide range of viruses and diseases, he said, adding other advantages of the proven strategy will include lack of allergic reactions and even significant impact on lowering infant mortality, maternal mortality and morbidity if used over a sustained period of time.
Dr. Munir also stressed the importance of epidemic preparedness, particularly in Pakistan’s situation, and discussed the elements of the disease early warning system to predict epidemics.
Dr. Ghulam Nabi Kazi, WHO Operations Officer for Sindh, said that computerised mapping carried out by the Federal Malaria Control Programme resulted in identification of malaria. The programme has been introduced in Hyderabad, Mirpurkhas, Thatta, Badin and Jacobabad.
Dr. Kazi expressed his optimism that provincial malaria control programme would be able to meet its target of lowering the prevalence, morbidity and mortality due to the disease by 50 per cent by June 2006, four years ahead of national target.
The Director, Malaria Control Programme for Sindh, Soomar Sadruddin, said the provincial government had approved the very project against an estimated cost of Rs60 million and expects to get it completed by June 2006.
He said that in Sindh the annual parasitic incidence had been brought down to 0.65 per cent per 1000 population in 2002 with a great deal of effort.
According to him, certain studies have shown that around 15-20 percent resistance position to first line and second line malarial drugs, respectively in four districts of Sindh and though a federal grant, further research studies would be conducted to evaluate the situation with regard to efficacy of treatment guidelines in the province.—APP
