20 Nov 2017

Serowe District Health Management Team, focal person, Mr Palangwa Kapesa has cautioned that Serowe is now a Malarial prone area.

 

He therefore advised residents to protect themselves from being infected by the disease.

 

Mr Kapesa said this at a tour organised by the district commissioner’s office, dubbed, Taking Services to the People.

 

He said Botswana was one of the four countries in the SADC region targeted for malaria eradication by 2018, adding that malaria was one of the health problems in Botswana.

 

“The country is known to be of low Malaria endemicity and the general population has no immunity against the disease, therefore, the entire population is at the risk of suffering from the disease,” he said.

 

He said as Botswana was divided into three epidimeological transmissions, Serowe fell under the zone that includes Palapye, Bobirwa, North East District, Mahalapye, Selebi Phikwe and Francistown.

 

“In this zone, there is occasional transmission, which becomes generalised in the years of good rainfall.  The population is generally none-immune and all age groups are at risk,” he said.

 

When profiling 2016 district malaria cases, he said nine cases were acquired locally.

 

“Within the district, we recorded two cases at Lesie lands, three cases at Ditshokwana lands, one from Mmolawana lands, and Mogatsapoo lands, Serowe, and Taukome respectively,” he said.

 

He said in 2015, no cases were reported in Botswana, but cited that in 2014, one case was recorded at Mabeleapudi, while seven cases were reported at Lesie lands and 4 cases from Serowe.

 

“We can conclude that we have a problem in our district, although it is considered non-malarious district.  Since we are approaching the rainy season there is need to sensitise people on malaria prevention. We advise people to use mosquito repellents, bed nets, use of protective clothing and screening of apertures. We also need to control breeding places by keeping the environment clean. It is not only encouraged as a good environmental hygiene practice for enhancement of optimum health as it involves keeping immediate surroundings free from tall tress, stagnant pool of water and litter likely to harbor and attract vectors of diseases,” he said.

 

He advised the residents to visit hospital as soon as they notice any signs of the illness and avoid going into complications and death.

“Individuals should know the signs and symptoms of malaria such as headache, fever, joint pains, chills and rigors, general weakness, loss of appetite with or without abdominal pains,” he said. ENDS