Govt unveils first-ever Malaria Communication Strategy

The Government of Malawi has unveiled the first-ever Malaria Communication Strategy in its drive to triple efforts to eliminate the killer disease, which claims hundreds of productive lives annually.

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Deputy Minister of Health Halima Daud, speaking at the official unveiling ceremony held at Kabudula ADMARC Group in the outskirts of Lilongwe City, disclosed that the strategy is designed to help in making followups on how the districts are responding to the fight and prevention of the disease.

Malaria is one of the countries in Sub-Saharan countries grappling with malaria.

The development of the strategy is therefore aimed at enhancing the country’s fight against the disease that is robbing developing countries of their much-needed human resource to develop.

Daud took advantage of the ceremony to call on stakeholders to work together towards eliminating the disease, adding that the Malawi Government is keen on ensuring that the country attains a malaria-free status by 2030.

“As a country we are doing better in eliminating malaria as today we have awarded some of the districts that have responded well in the fight against this disease since last year when the President launched the zero malaria campaign. So, I can say there is progress,” she said.

World Health Organization (WHO) Country Representative for Malawi, Neema Kimambo, said malaria remains a significant public health and development challenge, not just in Malawi, but the whole of Sub-Saharan Africa.

Kimambo therefore called for the scaling up of efforts to eliminate the disease.

“A lot of efforts are being put in place, but we are not yet there that is why we need to continue these efforts to make sure that we reduce these numbers Malawi is contributing to that part of 95 percent0, which is in Sub Saharan Africa, so that we can indeed reach zero malaria,” she said.

The World Malaria Day falls on 25 April every year. Malawi commemorated the day with a call to invest, innovate and implement more in eliminating the disease.

The theme for this year’s World Malaria Day was: TIME TO DELIVER ZERO MALARIA, INVEST, INNOVATE, IMPLEMENT, TOGETHER WE BUILD A FREE MALARIA WORLD.

Meanwhile, Kasungu has been awarded as the most outstanding district in the response to the elimination of the disease since the malaria zero campaign commenced last year.