Speakers at a seminar here on Thursday said that malaria was a major health problem in Pakistan, but was preventable and curable.
The seminar was organised by the University Medical and Dental College (UMDC) to mark the World Malaria Day.
Dr Zahid Masood, the UMDC department of community medicine head, said that malaria killed around 3,000 children every day in the world. In Pakistan, he said, half a million malaria cases occurred annually with Sindh and Balochistan the more affected provinces.
Sharing World Health Organisation 2012 statistics, Dr Masood said that nearly 3.3 billion people – almost half of the world’s population– remained at risk of malaria. Every year, he said, this led to about 216 million malaria cases.
The people in the poorest countries were the most vulnerable, he added.
He said that malaria was the fourth major cause of death among communicable diseases.
He said in countries where malaria was common, women were four times more likely to suffer malaria during pregnancy resulting in low birth weight and stillbirths. Moreover, he said, nearly 60 per cent of miscarriages in areas showing high and continued incidence were also due to malaria.
Talking about the prevention, he said increased prevention and control measures were dramatically reducing malaria in places like Rwanda (by 45 per cent), Zambia (by 50 per cent), Cambodia and Eretria (by 80 per cent).
He cited Morocco as an example of success where he said the disease had been eliminated. However, resistance to anti-malarial medicines was a recurring problem, he added.
He said vector control measures, strong political will and community participation were important ways to reduce malaria transmission at community level.
Earlier, Dr Shandana and Dr Munazza of the UMDC talked about the WHO’s Roll Back Malaria Strategy for improving access to treatment through home management.
Dr Shandana said the Malaria Eradication Programme and the Malaria Control Programme did not work earlier due to administrative, technical and operational failures causing resurgence of malaria in Pakistan. Still, she said, malaria was one of the major causes of morbidity in Pakistan due to which a sizeable number of patients became economically inactive for quite some time.
Dr Masood suggested that advocacy, communication and social mobilisation campaigns be started with integrated sustainable vector control activities like those carried for controlling dengue fever in the Punjab. He also stressed the need for strong political will and community participation to address the issue.
Prof Muhammad Iqbal Tahir, advisor to the Board of Governors chairman, stressed the need for allocating more funds for health.
Calling it a poor man’s disease, Dr Tahir said that malaria in Pakistan was mainly caused because of a lack of awareness and improper sewerage system.
Later, students of the MBBS part-IV presented a tableau on the topic.
Published in The Express Tribune, April 26th, 2013.