Daily Times

KARACHI: The World Health Organisation (WHO) has called for accelerated scale-up of efforts to prevent malaria and save lives.

Together with diagnosis and treatment, WHO recommends a package of proven prevention approaches, including insecticide treated nets, spraying indoor walls with insecticides, and preventive medicines for the most vulnerable groups: pregnant women, under-fives and infants.

World Malaria Day is being globally celebrated on April 25 seeks to raise awareness about malaria, the serious and sometimes fatal disease that plagues most tropical regions. The 2017 Theme for World Malaria Day is “A push for prevention”.

The number of malaria deaths globally fell from an estimated 839,000 in 2000, to 438,000 in 2015 (range: 236 000-635 000), a decline of 48 percent.

“WHO-recommended tools have made a measurable difference in the global malaria fight,” said Dr Margaret Chan, Director-General of WHO. “But we need a much bigger push for prevention.”

According to the World Malaria Report 2016, the rate of new malaria cases fell by 21 per cent globally between 2010 and 2015. Malaria death rates fell by 29 per cent in the same 5-year period. Despite the regions made substantial gains in their malaria responses, but the disease remains a major public health threat.

“Any death from malaria – a preventable and treatable disease – is simply unacceptable,” said Dr Pedro Alonso, Director of WHO’s Global Malaria Programme. “Today we are urging countries and partners to accelerate the pace of action, especially in low-income countries with a high malaria burden.”

Ninety-one countries, including Pakistan, reported ongoing malaria transmission in 2015; all are working to reduce their malaria burden through the deployment and use of WHO-recommended preventive, diagnostic and treatment tools.

“Pakistan has a population of 180 million inhabitants of which 177 million are at risk of malaria. With 3.5 million presumed and confirmed malaria cases annually,” says Directorate of Malaria Control, Ministry of National Health Services Regulations and Coordination Pakistan.

Malaria as a major cause of morbidity in Pakistan, mainly affects the less prosperous districts, with suboptimal health care service delivery. With an estimated burden of 1.5 million cases annually, Pakistan has been categorized by WHO in the Group 3 countries of the WHO Eastern Mediterranean Region, along with Afghanistan, Djibouti, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan and Yemen. These countries account for sharing 95 per cent of the total regional malaria burden.

The recognition of malaria as a major health threat, retarding socioeconomic development, underscores the need for an effective malaria control and elimination programme at all levels in Pakistan. This is also necessary in order to fulfill international and national commitments enshrined in the Millenium Development Goals, Roll Back Malaria Partnership and regional declarations.

“Reports indicate that the disease is now rising as a grave health problem in Pakistan,” said an office bearer of Pakistan Medical Association (PMA).

“The major developments in the industrial sector without proper sewerage, unplanned and unsustainable urbanization and bad sanitary conditions have made the conditions favourable for the expansion of malaria,” said Dr. S.M.Qaisar Sajjad Secretary General PMA. According to him, government should allocate more funds in the upcoming budget for prevention of diseases.

“The only prevention for malaria is to completely eliminate mosquitoes from the country. It will also eliminate the other mosquito born diseases like Dengue, Chikungunya, etc,” Dr Sajjad added.