Published by the government of Zimbabwe
18 April 2008
Harare — Zimbabwe will take part in an anti-malaria expedition scheduled for next week ahead of the World Malaria Day commemoration to be held in Lusaka, Zambia.
The campaign to be carried out in five districts - Hwange, Binga, Kariba, Hurungwe and Guruve - will run in collaboration with the River of Life Expedition that involves a group of medical personnel and journalists. Speaking at a media briefing held in Harare yesterday, the Minister of Health and Child Welfare, Dr David Parirenyatwa, said the campaign seeks to raise awareness, identify challenges and successes in mitigating malaria along the Zambezi River. "As a region, we always find ways of fighting malaria, hence this campaign is part of the initiatives. "In our Zimbabwean context, malaria is an issue of significant public health contributing significantly to the deaths of pregnant women and children. "More often than not, malaria is perceived not only as a disease of poverty but also as a cause of poverty," Dr Parirenyatwa said. He said by controlling malaria, the countries involved would also address three Millennium Development Goals aimed at halving deaths of pregnant women, children and reducing poverty.
Dr Parirenyatwa said the expedition, which started in March in other countries along the Zambezi River, will run under this year's World Malaria Day theme: Malaria a Disease Without Borders - United to Combat Malaria. World Malaria Day is commemorated on April 24 annually.
"The expected outcome of this expedition is to build partnerships within six trans-Zambezi countries, develop sustainable preventive measures such as indoor residual spraying and the use of insecticide-treated nets and other strategies promoted and adopted by countries concerned," he said. In the region, the 2 500km expedition started in March from the source of Zambezi River and will end to its delta in the Indian Ocean. The other three countries involved are Angola, Namibia and Botswana while Zimbabwe will join it in Zambia on April 24 until May 6 when it spills into Zimbabwe.
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