THREE people died from malaria in the Mopani district recently and the department of health has dispatched a malaria control team of 42 members to do prevention work by spraying for mosquitoes in the area.
Health spokesperson, Macks Lesufi, confirmed the deaths.
He said the biggest challenge was that some households could not be accessed by the team to spray for mosquitoes, because the residents were not there.
“We have teams in Vhembe and Mopani. Phalaborwa and Malamulele are the focus areas.
There are 10 people that are being treated for malaria in hospitals in these areas. Residents are advised to use repellents and wear clothing with long sleeves when they are outdoors,” Lesufi said.
“The northern and eastern lowveld areas of Limpopo, are malaria endemic areas. In these areas, malaria transmission is seasonal, with cases normally at the highest during the summer rainy season.
“During a normal malaria season, Limpopo experiences incidents of malaria at two different times. The first increase is normally around January each year. This increase is associated with travelling patterns and behaviour changes after the December festive period.
“A second peak is normally experienced towards the end of the malaria season, March and early April. This increase is associated with high rainfall, humidity and high temperatures.
“These factors contribute to increased malaria mosquito breeding and the development of malaria parasites in mosquitoes.”
“During the past month, Limpopo experienced a seasonal increase in malaria, with the Mopani district most severely affected.
“Since March 15, 111 malaria cases were noted in Ba-Phalaborwa and 132 cases in Greater Giyani,” he said.
“With a high coverage of indoor residual spraying and cooler night-time temperatures setting in, it is expected that cases will decline within the next few weeks.
“It remains important for communities to be aware of the malaria signs and symptoms like fever, body pain, headaches, nausea and diarrhoea. If any of these symptoms are experienced, patients should immediately go to the closest clinic or health centre for tests.
“All provincial health facilities are prepared to test and treat malaria cases.
“Malaria is a disease that can be treated and cured 100%, although a diagnosis and treatment need to be done as early as possible, following the onset of the disease,” said Lesufi.
