Malaria curbing depends on expansion of health services, awareness

Given that malaria is a potentially life-threatening disease and caused by a parasite that is transmitted to humans through the bite of an infected female mosquito, health experts yesterday underscored the need for raising social awareness on eradicating malaria and further expanding its health services all over the country.

Awareness raising and mosquito control programmes need to be strengthened further, they said, emphasising the need for coordination and partnership between the government and private sector for achieving success in this regard.

They came up with the remarks while addressing a press conference, jointly organised by National Malaria Control Programme and Brac, at the MIS auditorium of Health Directorate at the capital's Mohakhali, ahead of World Malaria Day to be observed tomorrow.

Dr Mohammad Nazrul Islam, monitoring and evaluation expert of the Malaria Control Programme, presented the keynote paper.

Certain people are more vulnerable, and they are children, aged under five years, and pregnant women who live in malaria-prone areas and travellers who come to these areas; mentioned the speakers.

About prevention, they advised people to use insecticidal net since evening and cloths covering hands and legs while going out of home at night.

Other measures included clearing of unnecessary bushes around houses, filling up of unnecessary water bodies, which are breeding grounds for mosquito, and quick diagnosis of the disease and its treatment.

They called upon people to immediately visit doctors if anyone is found to possess the symptoms of malaria.

Involvement of multiple sectors is important for eliminating the disease, they said, calling upon all concerned to work together to achieve the target of reducing outbreak of malaria by 80 percent in the malaria-prone 13 districts and bring the death rate caused by it to zero by 2018.

Among others, Prof Dr Abul Kalam Azad, additional director general of Health Directorate and Dr Mohammad Akramul Islam, director of TB, Malaria and Wash programme of Brac, spoke at the press conference.