Battle against malaria calls for more collective efforts

Editor, According to yesterday’s edition of The New Times, reports compiled from various health centres in Nyagatare District indicate that the Eastern District tops the country’s malaria prevalence at 40.4 percent, a rather astounding figure.

Tuesday, January 31, 2012

Times Reporter

Mothers at a local health centre. Malaria prevalence in the country is still high in some areas despite the inroads made to help eradicate the disease in the last five years. The New Times / File.

Editor,

According to yesterday’s edition of The New Times, reports compiled from various health centres in Nyagatare District indicate that the Eastern District tops the country’s malaria prevalence at 40.4 percent, a rather astounding figure.

Like what the Minister of Health, Dr Agnes Binagwaho suggested, collective efforts are needed in the fight against malaria not only in Nyagatare but the country at large.

Rwanda has registered remarkable success in curbing malaria infections even at a time when the disease remains a major killer in Africa and the developing world.

At one point, the global figures showed that malaria deaths in Rwanda had dropped by 70 percent between 2005 and 2010.

Nevertheless, the Ministry of Health needs to unremittingly keep the public updated about the killer disease while adopting preventative measures such as supply of mosquito nets.

Ivan Katungi
Nyagatare