Denver Isaacs
23 April 2008
Windhoek — THE World Health Organisation (WHO) is expected to send a delegation to Namibia later this year to look at whether to declare the country polio free.
This was announced yesterday by Health Minister Richard Kamwi during motivation for his Ministry's budget vote in Parliament.
In 2006, just after the WHO first declared the country polio free, Namibia was confronted by an outbreak of poliomyelitis which the Minister recalled yesterday had devastating consequences for the population, including severe forms of paralysis and death.
But while Kamwi expressed optimism over the delegation's expected finds given the success of his ministry's efforts in dealing with the polio crisis, he warned fellow MPs of the effects two recent cholera outbreaks might hold for the country in the foreseeable future.
Given the experience of Namibia's neighbouring countries, he said, the outbreaks forced the Health Ministry "to prepare for cholera to become an endemic disease".
He said it was important now for the country to improve its sanitation systems considerably in the coming years.
The first of these outbreaks occurred just as the country started to recover from the effects of the polio outbreak in 2007.
Kamwi said his Ministry managed to contain this outbreak speedily and without the support of external experts.
The second outbreak occurred earlier this year in the northern and northeastern parts of the country, and was attributed to the floods experienced there.
This latest outbreak, which has so far claimed 13 lives and affected over 1 000 people according to the Minister, has now reached its peak and is on the decline, he said.
The Ministry of Health and Social Services is asking for N$2,1 billion this year, which sees its share of the National Budget increase to 5 per cent from last year's 4,3 per cent.
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