MBOMBELA – Malaria cases in the province have significantly decreased from over 12 000 cases in 1999/2000 to 4 333 in 2014/15.
According to the department of health, the contributing factors to the reductions are mainly due to good control measures with indoor residual spraying and focused surveillance with strong active surveillance work done by the programme.
“The programme also engaged on house to house campaigns coupled with indoor residual spraying in malaria risk areas ofBushbuckridge, Mbombela and Nkomazi.
These campaigns started in the beginning of November 2015 and 3 198 people were reached with malaria messages.
The communities were educated on the importance of consulting health facilities for early diagnosis and treatment when fever, headache or body pains are observed as well as the benefit of indoor residual spraying.
They were also cautioned to avoid mosquito bites by using long clothing and repellent lotions on exposed body during the night,” confirmed spokesperson for the department, Mr Dumisani Malamule.
Malamule added that there is currently a strong indication that local transmission patterns are decreasing now in 2015/16.
“Looking at the current monthly report, it is evident that local cases are significantly lower than previous two years especially the 84 local cases of Sept 2015 and 45 of October 2015 is very low,” he further stated.
