Malaria Day of the Americas … Below 10,000 cases targeted

Malaria Day of the Americas …
Below 10,000 cases targeted
for 2008
Kaieteur News article, 6 November 2007
Guyana will be intensifying its efforts towards achieving its goal of
less than 10,000 malaria cases next year. This was announced by Health
Minister Dr Leslie Ramsammy yesterday as he delivered his message to
mark Malaria Day of the Americas , being observed today.

He stated that in 2001, the Ministry had established the goal of 10,000
cases as where the country ought to be by 2010.

But, having proven that it can prevent malaria, armed with tools such
as Coartem for treatment of Plasmodium falciparum, long-lasting
Impregnated Bednets and better trained health workers, the Ministry has
moved up the 2010 target to 2008 and has adjusted the 2010 target to
less than 5,000 cases.

The Minister however acknowledged that the road to achieving this goal
will not be without its share of challenges.

‘There are two months to go for this year and, in spite of our
successes, there are certain hot spots in each region where malaria is
significant. For example, in Region 1, Port Kaituma, Arakaka and
Matthew's Ridge and Baramita, are hotspots.

Other regions similarly have hotspots. I have instructed the malaria
unit to identify the hotspots in each Region and ensure that mass smear
exercises to find all infected cases and provide treatment are
implemented with immediate effect.”

“Malaria is preventable. We have proven that. Malaria is treatable. We
have abundant evidence of this fact. Armed with these unassailable
facts, we must take even bolder steps, set more ambitious goals and
then work collectively to ensure success. I believe that the more
ambitious goal must be to eliminate malaria and I commit Guyana to
achieving the elimination goal of less than one case per 1,000 persons.
I believe that this goal is achievable by 2015.”

Today marks Guyana 's fifth observance of Malaria Day. It is also the
first time that the country observes this day as the Malaria Day of the
Americas .

In expressing pleasure that Guyana has led the way in highlighting this
very important public health problem in the Americas, Ramsammy
reiterated the need to have a day in which global attention is focused
on malaria to remind everyone of how much of a scourge malaria is,
underlined by the fact that malaria kills more than 1.5M persons each
year.

Between 300 and 500 million persons are infected with malaria annually.

This year, the Minister said the focus will be on acknowledging the
work of health workers everywhere, but particularly those in Regions 1,
7, 8 and 9.

“The health workers in the areas affected by malaria have been in the
frontlines of the battle against malaria.The successes that Guyana have
had in recent years in the fight against malaria resulted from the
commitment of the health workers who have had to confront this
dangerous disease upfront and close. They deserve our greatest tribute
and they deserve our gratitude.”

Commenting on the major successes achieved in the malaria program, the
Minister said as Guyana entered the 1990s, it recorded close to 90,000
cases of malaria per year.

That was a time when the information system was mostly inefficient and
under-reporting was significant. Thus, it is reasonable to conclude
that by the 1990s, Guyana had exceeded an annual incidence of more than
100,000 malaria cases.

Last year, the country recorded just over 20,000 cases, the Minister
noted, adding that he is convinced that now, the information system
works with greater efficiency and, therefore, is confident that the
numbers represent the truth.

In 2007, so far, Guyana has recorded just 8,499 cases by the end of the
first week of October putting it on target for recording less than
15,000 cases this year, the goal established for 2007.

“This is a genuine Guyanese success story. But this success only must
whet our appetite for greater success,” the Minister posited.