17 Feb 2021

 Tutume sub-district has thus far registered 14 cases of malaria vis-à-vis 13 recorded for the entire transmission season last year.

Among the 14 cases reported, Tutume Sub-district Council chairperson, Mr Anthony Chebani said two had already lost their lives as a result of the disease. 

He told the on-going sub-council session that those were the first malaria deaths to be recorded in the district since 2011. 

This, he said, was a wake-up call for the district to work even harder to control malaria in the region. 

In addition, the chairperson indicated that malaria cases were likely to surge with imminent flooding, especially in Nata/Gweta area.

“No village will be immune to malaria this year, so all areas must make efforts to prevent the transmission of malaria as it is a 100 per cent lethal condition if diagnosed late or left untreated,” emphasised Mr Chebani.

On other issues, Mr Chebani highlighted that the sub-district continued to experience a surge in COVID-19 cases since the beginning of the year. 

He pointed out that as at December 24, 2020, the sub-district registered 24 confirmed cases, but currently they had reported A quantum leap of 293 cumulative cases with five mortalities.

He thus called upon change of behaviour among Batswana by adopting the health protocols, noting that the rate at which cases were increasing was alarming. Health system in the country, the chairperson said, was likely to collapse soon, hence the public must strive to strengthen compliance to COVID-19 protocols to flatten the curve.

 He also stated that the sub- district currently isolated at Matsilojoe in the North East District for stable clients while critical ones were referred to Ntshe Isolation Centre in Francistown and others to Sir Ketumile Masire Hospital.

Mr Chebani said all facilities were now operating at full capacity, hence the need to strengthen home isolation and quarantine as it had proven to be sustainable in the long run. ends