Socotra declared free of malaria [Archives:2007/1112/Local News]
Hamed Thabet
SOCOTRA, Dec. 15 ) This year, Socotra finally has become malaria-free, according to Yemen's Ministry of Health and Population last week.
“Socotra now is completely free of malaria following efforts by Yemen's National Malaria Control Program, which began in 2000,” says Shoki Al-Maori, deputy director of the program.
In 2005, the Health Ministry declared that the malaria rate had fallen from 36 percent to 1 percent on Socotra, Yemen's largest island with a population of 40,000.
Seeking to eradicate malaria completely by 2015, the program next will focus on Aden, Al-Mahrah and Hadramout following its success in Socotra, Al-Maori indicated.
Malaria had spread throughout nearly all Yemeni cities and villages; however, the number of malaria patients recently has decreased, according to Al-Maori, “Yemen has achieved some success in combating malaria and could reduce incidents of the disease from 2 million to just 600,000 cases annually.”
For this reason, the Yemeni government is cooperating with neighboring countries and other organizations.
In this regard, the Gulf Cooperation Council gave Yemen $48 million to fight malaria, according to a source at the Ministry of Public Health and Population, which warns that 60 percent of Yemenis still may be exposed to malaria infection.
Saudi Arabia gave Yemen 6 million Saudi riyals (YR 318.26 million) this year, in addition to several pieces of required equipment related to this same field.
In addition to the Saudi support, Yemen also receives support from Oman. Such support allows Yemen to provide pesticides, spray equipment and vehicles.
Numerous other countries and authorities also grant Yemen funds and materials to halt malaria's increase, including the United Arab Emirates' Red Crescent Authority, the World Bank, UNICEF and the Global Fund.
The World Health Organization established its National Malaria Control Program in Yemen in 2001. WHO's strategy includes early diagnosis and prompt treatment, surveillance and information systems and applied research in cooperation with Yemen to fight malaria.
An official report notes that 156,925 mosquitoes were annihilated last year under another program to fight malaria, meaning that there's serious cooperation to fight malaria.
Malaria remains a major global problem, exacting an unacceptable toll on the health and economic welfare of the world's poorest communities. By the end of 2004, more than 3.2 billion people in 107 countries and territories were at risk of contracting malaria.
Each year, between 350 million and 500 million new malaria cases are reported worldwide, resulting in more than a million deaths, with a disproportionately large majority of the victims being young children from sub-Saharan Africa.
Malaria is caused by a parasite called Plasmodium transmitted via the bites of infected mosquitoes. In humans, the parasites multiply in the liver and then infect the red blood cells.
Symptoms of malaria include fever, headache and vomiting, and usually appear 10 to 15 days after a mosquito bite. If left untreated, malaria quickly can become life threatening by disrupting the blood supply to vital organs. In many parts of the world, these parasites have developed a resistance to a number of malaria medicines.
Key interventions to control malaria include: prompt and effective treatment with artemisinin-based combination therapies, use of insecticidal nets by those at risk and indoor residual spraying with insecticide to control vector mosquitoes.
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