22 Dec 2014

The Indoor Residual Spray (IRS) that fights the Anopheles female mosquito, which causes Malaria continues to face numerous challenges in Ngamiland.


The challenges negatively affect the efforts by the Ngami District Health Management Team (DHMT) and North West District Council (NWDC) in controlling Malaria, one of the killer diseases in the African continent.



Speaking at a media briefing at Shokumoka settlement outside Maun recently, the IRS coordinator and also Ngami (DHMT) health promotion officer, Mr Kebotlwaetse Kwambala said IRS coverage remained a challenge in Maun and other settlements.



Mr Kwambala noted that many Malaria cases that came about in the Ngamiland region were associated to homes that were not sprayed during the annual IRS season, which he said was a concern since lives could be saved if people complied with the advices by the IRS teams.



He said that the Anopheles female mosquito was tricky since they bred on walls, were silent unlike the common noisy mosquito and could bite a person while he or she does not feel it.



Mr Kwambala also noted that Malaria symptoms were common with other illnesses such as headache, vomiting, hotness, which made it difficult to establish, especially in children, which led to late diagnosis and deaths.



He said the Anopheles female mosquito bred in flood plains and was favoured by the Ngamiland and Okavango climates, adding that people should first consider saving the lives of their children particularly that  prevention was better than cure by allowing the IRS team to undertake the spraying at their homes.



One of the IRS team supervisors, Mr Thuto Modibu said IRS coverage was still a challenge in Maun because some people would be at work during the IRS visits.



He said many people in Sedie Ward in Maun also refused to allow the IRS teams, despite that Sedie and Matlapana wards were the hotspots of Malaria.



Mr Modibu said people believed the allegations that instead of killing mosquito, the IRS increased them bred it.

He dismissed the allegations, saying the spray kills the Anopheles mosquito. 


He advised that people should adhere to the 30 minutes to one hour waiting period after spraying and to keep their yards clean and remove stagnant waters which are breeding places for mosquito.

The IRS season, which started in October and supposed to end on December 31, has been extended to January 15, 2015 to cover the areas left behind in Ngamiland. Ends