24 Feb 2019

Boteti Sub-council chairperson Mr Molemi Galeragwe has cautioned the public about the dangers of acute watery diarrhoea and its potential threat for children under the age of five.

Mr Galeragwe said  that there was a need to be vigilant to avert a potential outbreak.

“The sub-council is providing health education on safe drinking water, use of improved sanitation and hand washing with soap in all health facilities.

Households with children aged five years and under are provided with oral rehydration solution at the child welfare clinic, together with a course of zinc sulphate tablets to enable parents and guardians to initiate treatment in case a child developed diarrhoea before they go to any facility,” he said.

Mr Galeragwe further indicated that Community Acting Together To Eliminate Malaria (CATTEM) model was piloted in Mopipi and Mosu villages.

He said the model had revealed that engagement of community leaders and the community at large were key to improved achievements, which was one step forward towards the elimination of Malaria.

However, he said it was sad to report that there were four cases and one death of Malaria in Mmea, where Malaria had not been reported for at least the past 10 years.

Multiple awareness creations, health promotion, demonstration and provision of insecticide-treated bed nets were distributed.

Multiple water bodies including that of a drying up river with multiple water bodies were identified and further investigation was done on progress by the entomology experts in the area.

“Malaria is still a major cause of death and illness in adults and children in Botswana.

The goal of the National Malaria Programme is to eliminate Malaria with the target to achieve zero local Malaria transmission by 2020,” he said.

One of the most effective way and principal vector control strategy, he said, was an indoor residual spray of insecticides.

Therefore in Boteti West, 12 villages and 11 cattle posts were targeted, where the indoor residual spray was conducted during the period of October to December 2018.

He indicated that during the exercise 15 952 structures were identified and 15 119 structures were sprayed with insecticide, which translated to coverage of rate of 94.2 per cent.

Mr Galeragwe said the coverage was way higher than the previous year’s coverage of 70 per cent.

That he said was made possible through active engagement and contribution of community leaders including dikgosi, VDC’s, political leaders, district authorities and the community at large.

In addition, Mr Galeragwe stated that social services had a total of 5 689 clients registered and assisted through different social safety programmes.

He noted that during the months of October, November and December the sub-district experienced a challenge with the old smart-switch cards as they reached their expiry without the council being notified and that resulted in delaying assistance due to beneficiaries.

That he said had been rectified as all the expired cards were replaced in January.

He indicated that child protection committees had been launched and mothers had been trained.

The committees, he said, would be operating at village levels and would help in identifying and helping children who were faced with social challenges. Ends