Melo News | Saturday, May 25, 2024 | Chipata
Eastern Province has seen an increase in Malaria incidences in the year 2023 compared to the year 2022.
This came to light during a Malaria Task Force (MATF)/End Malaria Council ( EMC) meeting held at Eastern Comfort Lodge in Chipata yesterday.
EMC regional Chairperson, Elvis Mhone, says there was an increase in Malaria incidence of 605 per 1000 population in 2023 compared to 410 per 1000 population in 2022.
Mr Mhone also said there was also an increase in Malaria deaths where 202 were recorded in 2023 compared to 102 in 2022.
” Malaria is still one of the leading causes of morbidity and mortality in Eastern Province and there is need for concerted effort to end the pandemic,” he said.
Mr Mhone noted that some of the challenges the province experienced in 2023 were adverse weather conditions which led to excess rainfall and more mosquito breeding sites including stock-outs of some malaria commodities, among others.
He hoped that the Ministry of Health working with other partners would work together to address the challenges to reduce the malaria burden in the province.
” The malaria battle cannot be fought by the Ministry of Health alone but with concerted effort from all of us. Let us ask questions and clarity in this meeting so that we come up with solutions to tackle the pandemic,” Mr Mhone observed.
And Eastern Province Chief Environmental Health Officer, Bernard Khoza, said in 2020, the province recorded 747 malaria incidence due to restrictions as a result of COVID-19.
Mr Khoza noted that the following years, the incidence started reducing but last year, it started increasing.
” In 2020, we recorded 747 malaria incidence because of restrictions which were there because of COVID-19. The following years we started recording low numbers of 553 in 2021, 410 in 2022 until we started seeing an increase in 2023,” he said.
He observed that Chipata had been recording highest incidences of malaria deaths compared to other districts, saying in 2022, the district recorded 20 and in 2023, it recorded 41.
Mr Khoza noted that Lundazi was second in terms of malaria mortality with 16 deaths in 2022 and 29 deaths in 2023, adding that most of them were children under the age of five.
