The health ministry says the country recorded 28 deaths from 12 286 malaria cases in 2024 with the Zambezi, Ohangwena, Kavango East, Kavango West and Oshikoto regions reporting the highest number of incidents. 

Minister of Health and Social Services Kalumbi Shangula said four of the deaths were from Zambezi. Malaria is endemic in 10 out of the 14 regions in Namibia – Kavango East and West, Ohangwena, Zambezi, Omusati, Oshana, Kunene, Oshikoto, Omaheke and Otjozondjupa.

“Malaria can be prevented and treated. It is exactly for this reason that we have decided to launch the Indoor Residual Spraying campaign relatively early to reach the needed coverage,” he said.

In August this year, the ministry launched the national Indoor Residual Spraying campaign, and also deployed a combination of interventions to combat malaria. 

“These include the recruitment of community health workers to test and treat malaria patients in hard-to-reach areas, as well as the distribution of long-lasting insecticide nets in communities,” the minister added.

Shangula implored traditional and community leaders to educate communities about the importance of combating malaria, and encourage them to allow spraying teams into their homes and villages. 

“I am mentioning this because it has been reported that some spraying teams have been denied access to some homes. This is a dangerous precedent, and has the potential to disrupt our efforts to end malaria as a public health threat by 2030,” he said.

The World Health Organisation says malaria remains a significant public health and development challenge.

Last month, Chad and the Democratic Republic of the Congo introduced R21 vaccines into their national immunisation programme, adding a crucial tool to complement existing malaria control measures to protect and save the lives of young children.

Malaria remains endemic in Chad as in 2023, the country recorded about 1.7 million cases, of which 36.4% were children under five years.

Roger Kamba, the DRC’s minister of public health, hygiene and social welfare said in a 2022 report, which provides the most recent data, malaria killed more than 24 000 people and infected over 27 million, mostly children under five years of age.

-psiririka@nepc.com.na