05 Jun 2013

The Ngami District Health Management Team (DHMT) official has confirmed that the community has refused malaria prevention measures usually done between September and April every year.

Ms Kabelo Maupo said prevention measures involved provision of mosquito nets and vector spraying in all the houses. She appealed to health workers and the community in general to change their attitudes towards malaria prevention measures, saying malaria was cheaper to prevent than to treat.

Ms Maupo complained of disturbing reports that people used mosquito nets for gardening purposes and fishing. Furthermore, she stated that cases of malaria were a district challenge that needed to be addressed holistically.

Ms Maupo explained that mosquito nets and malaria vector spray were useful to the prevention and eradication of malaria in the district if taken seriously.  A participant at the DHMT workshop, who is also a teacher at Boseja Primary School said there was serious denial from the community regarding the malaria prevention measures.

She said it was common that community members complained of rush and suffocation when using the mosquito nets and that after the spray, some of them suffered from suffocation and other diseases as a result of the prevention measures.

“Maybe the community does not follow instructions clearly or need substantial education,” she said. Ms Itumeleng Kamwi, a community health nurse, said the problem was that the community did not follow set precautions and prevention instructions properly.

She noted that ignoring the instructions resulted in many people being affected. She explained that before using the mosquito nets, one had to wash it without using washing powder to kill some viruses. 

As for the vector spray, she said people must wait for over 20 minutes after the spray before using the house, but this she said, is not followed because people rush to enter into their houses immediately after the spray.

Participants appealed to DHMT and stakeholders to extensively educate and conduct mass awareness campaigns and activities about malaria. ENDS