By Ibrahim Kabba Turay
Programme Manager for the National Malaria Control Programme, Dr. Dennis H. Marke, has confirmed during the launch of the World Malaria Day that, Sierra Leone will reduce malaria infection by 75% in 2025.
He said based on their objectives at the end of 2025, they want to reduce malaria by 75%, strengthen malaria surveillance, provide timely and adequate malaria commodities to healthcare centers across the country including private health centers, improve on modification of resources and maximize the efficiently use of resources.
He continued that one of the interventions is to provide mass distribution of mosquito bed nets, intermittent preventive treatment, introduction of malaria vaccine by next year, among other interventions from the Ministry.
Dr. Dennis H. Marke said 1000 deaths per birth were record in the past five years before the survey was done.
He said infant mortality rate related to malaria had reduced from 92 to 75% and that the vision of the country’s destination is to reduce the burden of malaria drastically.
He added that the key building principle is to improve universal coverage of malaria prevention and control measures, and assured that they are determined to make available services that are provided to the people at all times, services that are of high quality with affordability and accessibility.
He added that to achieve such move they needed to work with development partners.
He said all of those interventions involved advocacy and awareness, which was the more reason they needed the media in that direction.
He encouraged citizens to stop blind treatment for malaria and to also diagnose before treatment, noting that there are free distributions of malaria related prevention and control items.
Deputy Chief Medical Officer of the Ministry of Health, Dr. Mustapha Kabbba, said he was very delighted to be present at the commemoration of the World Malaria Day.
He said the day was set aside in order to increase awareness about the malaria disease.
He said with robust awareness they could help citizens to know the required prevention and control measures regarding to malaria. He disclosed that very soon vaccines would be bought in order to manage malaria.
He however noted that the Ministry still has a challenge in terms of malaria related preventive and control measures, adding that without adequate drugs the efforts for malaria prevention and control would be fruitless.
He also called on the media to very proactive in the determination of malaria prevention and control messages in order to have zero malaria stances in the country.
The Malaria Technical Advisor for WHO Dr. Louisa Genda, said in 2021 there was 2021 thousand death were recorded, noting that to mitigate such they need to increase the funding gap in order to sustain and combat malaria related death.
She assured that the malaria vaccine for Sierra Leone will come in 2024. She said many people were missing out in terms of services geared towards malaria prevention and control measures.
He continued that WHO had come up with strategies in order to address such challenges and to address the barriers people are faced with in terms of malaria control and prevention measures.
