Over 600 malaria cases reported in Limpopo so far

LIMPOPO –  Speaking at a malaria awareness campaign held at the Donald Fraser Hospital in the Vhembe district last Thursday she said the department is concerned at the high rate of malaria infections in the province which are negatively affecting the department.
She says an increase in the number of malaria cases were reported from Siloam, Donald Fraser, Malamulele and Nkhensani hospitals. Earlier this year the department also recorded 43 cases of malaria in the Waterberg region.

“More than 600 malaria cases have been reported around the province this year. We are experiencing a huge number of malaria cases when compared to last year, when we probably had the lowest number of cases,” she said.
She says malaria is dangerous and needs to be treated early to avoid fatalities.
“It worries us that there are still families which deny us permission to spray their homes because they think the chemical is more dangerous. It is our duty to do good for our people, not to kill them, therefore it is impossible for us to utilise a chemical which would harm our people’s lives,” she said.
“The department has activated teams in all these facilities to deal with the increased number of cases, and malaria supplies to treat the cases are currently being distributed to the facilities,” she continued.
Ramathuba further says the department appreciates that the people are responding to their calls to report to their closest health facilities should they experience malaria symptoms.
A malaria patient, Suzan Mudau, says it worries them a lot as patients that other people, who can be easily affected by the virus, do not want their homes fumigated.
“Living with this virus is difficult and that puts our lives in danger. Life is not the same anymore. It is crucial to ensure that we work together with the department to make sure that we fight the virus,” Mudau stated.
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