Malaria on the rise in City

KARACHI - Experts have warned the citizens to adopt precautionary measures against the outbreak of malaria in the city, as the authorities concerned have failed to carry out preventive measures to kill mosquitoes causing hundreds of new malaria cases in various parts of Sindh, including the metropolis, during last few months.
"Malaria, caused by parasites of the species Plasmodium (mosquitoes), claims more than fifty thousand deaths each year in the country mostly infants, children and pregnant women while more than 500 million malaria cases are reported every year all over the world and over one million people die of malaria annually. According to the Islamabad-based Directorate of Malaria Control (DOMC), about 130,000 cases of malaria had been confirmed in Pakistan in 2007. Malaria remains a major threat to 3.2 billion people in more than 107 countries throughout the world", they said while talking to The Nation on Saturday.
General Secretary Pakistan Medical Association (Karachi) Dr Samrina Hashmi said that government is creating awareness through print and electronic media to eradicate the disease but in fact malaria remains as a major health problem in the country.
 She said malaria is a preventable disease but city government, health department and other authorities concerned are not working properly and even have no appropriate plan for the citizens to ward off this endemic disease. In this situation, the people should adopt some necessary steps to avoid halt the spread of the malaria in their localities.
Talking about the preventive measures, Dr Samrina said the government should launch massive mosquito-spraying campaigns in the city and other parts of Sindh to control malaria.
"Kerosene oil can play vital role in eliminating mosquitoes if it is sprayed over open water pools and ponds of contaminated water. The importance of the use of insecticide-treated nets should be highlighted among the citizens and these nets should be supplied to poor free of cost.
The NGOs and philanthropists can make a major contribution in the fight against malaria. They should come forward to help government to save people from this fatal disease," she added.
It is worth mentioning that, last year, Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies worked jointly to distribute 2.5 million long-lasting insecticide-treated nets, including 1.8 million in Mali and 490,000 others in Madagascar.
In 2008, they will deliver some 1.5 million nets to 2.2 million children in India, Togo, Mozambique, Malawi, Equatorial Guinea, Burundi, Burkina Faso, Zambia, Central Africa Republic, Nigeria, and Rwanda.
It is pertinent to mention here that acute outbreak of malaria is being reported in various parts of Sindh as over the past few months more than 100 cases have been detected in Shikarpur district only.