Malaria Control Unit Campaign group reaches URR

By Our Correspondent

The Malaria Control Unit under the Ministry of Health recently reached to the Basse Community in the Upper River Region (URR) as they embarked on a 10-days campaign in their efforts to the mitigation of malaria in the country, which includes the distribution of Long-Lasting Insecticide Net, spraying households and given SMC to kids between 3 months to 59days.

Speaking at the tour, Momodou A Jawo, the Regional Vector Control Officer in Basse said the activity as called IRS, the program was introduced by the malaria program unit to spray households, from an initial where they were doing another program called the LLIN that was jointly shared between the CRS and the malaria control unit where they were going round to give nets to households.

He mentioned that after the IRS they would have the SMC which is another intervention that the government is taking to ensure that they eradicate or eliminate malaria in the country, that SMC is given to kids between 3-months to 59-months, programs geared towards how they can eliminate malaria in the country.

According to him, the 10days program was covering the whole of URR where there are 7 catchment areas, which each of these areas is an operational area where all the activities, planning and all the movement are held.

He revealed that every campaign that the government brings is for the interest of the people, while he urges people to consider it as theirs for the benefit everyone and to last long, that despite all the preventive measures taken, the government is putting up a theory whereby if one is tested positive, quantum is given to him.

In the same progress, Omar Jallow, the Public Health Officer in Basse District Hospital, said that looking at the cases of malaria, there are lots of incidence cases, especially during the raining season as malaria is considered as a seasonal disease.

He confirmed that the malaria control program under the Ministry of Health is doing numerous strategies to eliminating malaria, tat this campaign has reduced the rate of malaria compare to 2011, with a high rate of 4% which has reduced to 0.2. Which has been seen from 2011 to date, as reduction of malaria in the health.

However, he outlined that they encountered some challenges in line with beneficiary side such as the demand side from the community level, because in the inception they have registered some refusals.

“Although we still have some community members or some beneficiaries that are still refusing especially with regards to the IRS. Some said it stain on their wall and increase the number of mosquitoes, so all these are challenges that we are facing,” he said.

The Data Collector at the Ministry of Health, Lamin Jammeh, said data assists malaria control program in terms of communication, which indicates the number of people benefited from every household and those that are yet to benefit, which is used as reference and assist the Ministry to know their achievements and the following steps.

Ousainou Mahanera, the Councilor of Gambisara Ward hailed the campaign saying it has lot of positive impact in his region in terms of eliminating malaria, that the program is very important as it does not only eliminate mosquitoes, but other hidden insects in the houses.