The Times of Zambia (Ndola)
15 October 2009
HEALTH Minister Kapembwa Simbao on Tuesday flagged off the distribution of 300,000 insecticide treated nets (ITNs) worth more than US$1.5 million in Southern, Eastern and Northern provinces to help fight malaria.
The ITN programme is being implemented by World Vision Zambia (WVZ) in partnership with Reaching HIV/AIDS Affected People with Integrated Development and Support (RAPIDS) and a consortium of five non-governmental organisations.
These are CARE International, Africare, Catholic Relief Services, the Salvation Army and the Expanded Church Response.
Speaking in Monze district during the launch, Mr Simbao said his ministry, in collaboration with various stakeholders, had made tremendous efforts in reducing malaria cases in Zambia.
In a speech read for him by director of public health and research Victor Mukonka, Mr Simbao said the Government was working to ensure that all vulnerable households were protected against malaria.
He said the current statistics indicated that there were 3.2 million malaria cases and 3,700 deaths in the country today.
"The ITN programme in the country has grown over the past five years and results from the 2008 malaria indicator survey show that the country coverage with at least one ITN per household is 62.3 per cent, which beats the Abuja target of 60 per cent," he said.
Mr Simbao, however, said the ITN programme had not been spared from challenges of low utilisation rates, inadequate resources and lack of coordination among stakeholders.
To combat the low utilisation rates, he said, the Government launched the door-to-door campaign in November 2008 and the distribution strategy had proved to be positive.
He said Zambia was expected to receive more than 1,500,000 ITNs from cooperating partners before the end of the year to be distributed to all vulnerable households countrywide.
Mr Simbao hailed WVZ for being a dependable partner with the Ministry of Health in many health-related aspects supporting vulnerable communities at the grassroots level.
Speaking earlier, visiting senior health technical specialist on malaria from World Vision United States of America, Mark Maire said he was happy with the Government for its dedication to combat malaria.
"Zambia has had great success in scaling malaria interventions with clear evidence of parasitemia rate in children under five from 22 per cent to 10 per cent between 2006 and 2008 and we as donors, we shall continue to give our support," Dr Maire said.
RAPIDS acting chief of party, Batuke Walusiku said her organisation and WVZ's malaria prevention work was integrated with the Health ministry's national malaria control programme's strategic plan to fight the disease.
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