12 Mar 2018

Following heavy showers experienced in Ngamiland District, Ngami District Health Management Team (DHMT) is anticipating high numbers of malaria and diarrhoea cases due to stagnant water.

Ngamiland is one of the districts prone to waterborne diseases such as malaria and diarrhoea and malaria is said to be one of the killer diseases in the Africa continent.

According to disaster preparation report from DHMT, so far about 46 cases of malaria have been recorded as compared to 52 for last year same time and two cases of diarrhoea have been registered in the district. 

Malaria surveillance officer, Ms Botoka Bofitlhile explained in an interview that most hard hit villages were Khwai and Mababe, which were waterborne areas due to their location in the Okavango Delta. 

She said the affected people included both female and males aged between 10 and 40.

The cases, she said were registered starting last year October until to date adding that the high cases were registered at Khwai before the Indoor Residual Spray (IRS) exercise, which was normally conducted in October.

She also stated that another contributing factor was long grass around homesteads adding that most of the residents did not cut grass.

Asked about cooperation of communities and health teams during their last IRS exercise, Ms Bofitlhile explained that it was not bad as compared to the previous years. She said they engaged some stakeholders to assist in the exercise. 

Meanwhile,  it was reported, that IRS remaind a challenge in Maun and other surrounding settlements in the previous years and many cases were associated to homes that were not sprayed during the annual IRS exercise as most of the people would be at work during the visits.

In an effort to prepare for the anticipated high numbers of malaria, a rapid response team has been activated and briefed about the situation.

DHMT has come up with some mechanism such as embarking on public education through Health Education Promotion Unit, on prevention measures.

Some of the measures were as follows, to encourage the public to boil water before drinking; not allow children to play in stagnant water to avoid drowning or drinking; cut grass around homesteads; use of mosquito nets and wear long sleeve clothes that cover the whole body.

DHMT also intends to strengthen disease surveillance and do some case follow up visits. With regard to priority needs, the DHMT has 250 mosquito nets to be distributed to vulnerable people staying in the flooded areas where IRS exercise was not done. It was also reported that the hospital is ready with vital drugs. Ends