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Ethiopia: Malaria Campaign This Year Yields Good Results US's PMI Launches 1.2 Bln. Malaria Initiative
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The Daily Monitor (Addis Ababa)
3 December 2007
Posted to the web 3 December 2007
Binyam Tamene
Addis Abeba
Impressive results have been registered in Ethiopia's campaign against malaria this year, owing to an effective prevention programme which saw a zero outlet of malaria epidemic so far, the Ministry of Health announced on Friday.
The announcement was made by State Minister of Health Dr. Kebede Worku during the launching of the U.S. President's Malaria Initiative at US embassy in the presence of, US ambassador to Ethiopia Donald Yatmamoto, U.S. Malaria Coordinator, and Retired Rear Admiral Tim Ziemer.
The state minister said the remarkable results were attributed to precautionary measures taken which involved the distribution-two each-of tents for more than ten million households living in the malaria affected areas.
He said that was one of the key parts for our achievement and the result of effective partnership with the United States Agency for International Aid and a combined effort of stakeholders in the fight against the disease.
"We are working with 15 partners on capacity building to upgrade our capacity to fight this disease," he said.
Speaking on his part Ambassador Yamamoto said the malaria campaign was a tremendous opportunity to save lives and reduce disease by building upon successful malaria treatment and control activities already underway in Ethiopia.
"The United States is committed to the Government of Ethiopia and its people to achieve its development goals of reducing poverty and fighting disease," he said.
The US Malaria coordinator, Retired Rear Admiral Tim Ziemer, said Ethiopia has now become a focus country for the historic five-year-$1.2 billion-aid to fight malaria across Africa under the PMI.
The PMI is an interagency initiative led by USAID, with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) as key partners.
It aims at cutting malaria-related deaths by 50 percent in the 15 focus countries in Africa by supporting a comprehensive malaria control effort led by national malaria control programs assisting national malaria control programs Tim Ziemer said PMI was set to significantly increase resources to Ethiopia which involves putting in place the most advanced and effective prevention and treatment interventions available.
"PMI will be providing same amount yearly for the coming five years to be used in malaria interventions in Ethiopia," he said.
This goal will be achieved by reaching 85 percent of the most vulnerable groups, which according to Admiral Tim Ziemer, are children under five years of age and pregnant women with proven and effective prevention and treatment measures.
This will be achieved by residual indoor spraying of households with insecticides; the distribution of long-lasting insecticide-treated bed nets to families; intermittent, presumptive treatment of pregnant women with anti malarias; and the roll-out of new, lifesaving, and the artemesinin-combination therapy to treat patients with malaria.
Malaria is unstable in most parts of the country, erupting in periodic epidemics every seven to eight years with local annual epidemics.
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The last major epidemic was in 2003 when 211 districts in the most populous regions.
Over five million clinical cases of malaria are reported annually, representing 15.5% of all outpatient consultations, 20.4% of all hospital admissions and 27% of hospital deaths.
Women bear the burden of malaria with the life-threatening impact of malaria during pregnancy and limited access to resources to seek appropriate and timely treatment.
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