5,000 Yemeni die each year Yemen faces malaria [Archives:2003/09/Health]
February 3 2003
The National Malaria Control Program has announced recently a warning of Yemenis negligence towards this disease confirming that Yemen has been facing the worst health problem for decades, pointing out that 30% of malaria deaths in the Middle East are in Yemen.
The specialists doctors have said that the Plasmodium Falciparum is the most dangerous kind which settles in Yemen.
Moreover the annual report that the Ministry of Health and Population has submitted points out that malaria is one of the biggest and health problem in Yemen for decades.
Ismail al-Ghabri, Yemen Times reporter, met Dr. Shawqi Abduallah al-Mawari, the general manager of the National Malaria Control Program for Malaria to learn more.
Q: How is the ministry fighting malaria?
A: ” The real activity for fighting malaria in Yemen started in 20001 when the NMCP was announced. Yemen has strategies based on those of the World Health Organization. The program concentrates on areas such as the Tehama coast; from al-Malaheet to al-Barah in the Tehama center. In the mountains there is al-Kafer and al-Udian in Ibb governorate as well in Ens, Gabal al-Sharq, Hamam Ali, Anas, al-Haima and Socotra Island as well.
The program also supports and strengthens the proper diagnosis and appropriate treatment through health institutions spreading over the republic.
A committee for fighting malaria was established in 2002 by the Minister of Health and Population as well as the Supreme Committee for fighting malaria in 2000.
Submitting free medical check-ups and medicines in health institutions is one of the goals that program wants to achieve.
Other goals will be achieved by efficient support by the WHO Organization and the international donors, collaborating with different governmental sectors and civil society. That is considered one of the adopted strategies of WHO to face epidemics.
Q: What are the main strategies for the Fifth Plan?
A: The strategies of the Fifth Plan represent developing human resources and raising its quality in planning and implementing these strategies and the early and proper diagnosis for appropriate treatment. It also deals with fighting and protecting pregnant women with well-preparation and enhancing the information system and build awareness among the citizens and paying attention to applicable studies and researches in malaria field.
Q: A Ministry of Health and Population report indicates that malaria infects 1.5 million people a year. How do you respond to this?
A: All the world’s developing countries suffer from this epidemic and Yemen has exerted great and real efforts with WHO and donor countries to eradicate this disease. It is indicated that by 2005 there will be control of malaria in Yemen. Generally, the program has put various activities in different governorates for fighting malariA. Moreover eradication strategy has been started just for Socotra Island.
The program also has found out multilateral cooperation between Yemen and Saudi Arabia and Oman for fighting the malaria on borders aiming to find shared programs.
The program has implement strategic stages, which mainly aims at reduction of malaria infection to 50% in 2010.
According to the WHO report for the malaria high-infect countries, Yemen is among of the highest-infected countries.
Q: Is there any collaboration between you and the sides interested in malaria problem?
A: The problem has concerned all and resulted of environmental, economical and developmental reflections. It is necessary to exert more efforts from all the sectors and governmental institutions in the country to face this epidemic and defeat it.
The ministry of agriculture has responded positively. We hope that the sides related to have such positive stance and cooperate more because we in the national program suffer a lot from the insufficiency of the transports means and the difficulty of reaching the remote areas. As well, we have a shortage of abilities to have epidemically, entomologist and geographical studies to determine the best means of fighting it.
Q: How the activities can be activated for this epidemic?
A: The real activity for the program to remove malaria started in 2001 and exactly taken attention after the wave of Rift Valley Fever. The program has had politically strong support and the foundation of the program is announced to be implemented under direct supervision of the public health minister.
Consequently, that helps to enhance and modernize the activities of fighting and collecting information and surveys. Thanks for God that the program has achieved exceptional and successful results in a short time in which most international organizations that interested in health issues are polarized aiming to support the program and the fighting operation in large areas.
For example in Socotra Island the percentage of malaria settlement was 95% and now is 13% and in Tehama the percentage of malaria was more than 49% and now it is 13%.
The program has started in areas based on realizing the mistakes and reduction the costs. We are now, after the WHO evaluation in which it has exalted the program exerted efforts, activating the program activities in most parts of Yemen through proper expanding and exact stages and axes.
We adopt the whole strategy of fighting operations in Aden and Hadramout centers and the guidance coverage in Tehama and Socotra besides adopting entomologist epidemic mechanism in all infected areas like Tehama cost that stretched from Haradh to Bab al-Mandab containing seven governorates.
We depend on the efficient activities of fighting through taking the supported axes plan and not relying on the governorate itself as the plan is speedy and able to provide the required cars and the available abilities to the program. Although there is just one organizer for malaria in each governorate, we could determine the malaria problem in Yemen knowing its settlement and season for multiplying in coasts, hills and valleys.
To be informed, Yemen is nominated between the countries that submits the support and assistance for fighting and eradicating malaria as it’s achieved special successes in that field.
Q: Any final word?
A: Without a doubt, the Yemeni government is exerting great efforts to control the malaria epidemic and eradicate it. It gives he national program a large sum of money besides using international assistance.
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