📌DANIEL MSANGYA
THE governments often talk about this alarming disease. Politicians do the same, the United Nations under the World Health Organization (WHO) has policy and strategic plans in place while NGOs, private sector and religious leaders do more than just discussions.
It has affected a number of people including pregnant women, students and vulnerable children. Does it carry a heavy burden with a long way to be eradicated? Fellow Correspondent with Partnership to End Malaria, Daniel Benno Msangya highlights the most burning challenges to address Malaria in Tanzania and Africa as a whole.
Several studies in the world have indicated it has already left its imprints especially among the pregnant women and children. The challenges remain unsolved. As that is not enough, media outlets have also done their role to address this disease. Despite all the efforts it continues to cause damages on social and economic growth of the poor countries.
The rates of malaria are still on the rise especially in the highest burden countries including Tanzania. The latest data available indicate that a child still dies every 2 minutes, and 11 countries carry the burden of 73% of the world’s malaria (RBM Partnership, 2019). Despite numerous pledges by malaria and non-malaria-affected countries to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals and the global goal of eliminating malaria by 90 percent by 2030, funding for this goal has stagnated, putting at risk the hard-earned progress to-date.
According to the World Malaria Report 2018 there were an estimated 219 million cases of malaria in 2017 compared with 217 million the year before. Approximately 70 percent of all malaria cases and deaths in 2017 were concentrated in 10 countries in Africa (Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ghana, Mali, Mozambique, Niger, Nigeria, Uganda and Tanzania) and India.
The report by World Health Organization (WHO) shows that there were 3.5 million more malaria cases reported in these 10 African countries in 2017, compared to the previous year. It further reveals that after more than a decade of unprecedented decline of malaria, reductions have stalled and, in some countries, the disease is on the rise. Estimates indicates that Malaria costs Africa $12 billion annually.
In an effort to address Malaria under global partnership, there has been tremendous progress realized in eliminating malaria – one of the world’s oldest and deadliest, but preventable diseases. Between 2000 - 2016, more than seven million lives saved and over one billion malaria cases prevented. This is a wonderful outcome.
Thanks to the RBM Partnership to End Malaria, the largest global platform for coordinated action towards a world free from malaria. Coming up with several interventions including fellowship programs for journalists indicate more investment to address Malaria.
One out of many interventions intended to add value to the concerted efforts already in place by promoting and stimulating research initiatives, creating awareness and increasing the efforts to address the Malaria.
According to Dr Abdourahmane Diallo, CEO of RBM Partnership to End Malaria, all concerted efforts are geared towards an ambition to eradicate the disease. “As we enter a new decade, we must now step up action to meet the ambitious global targets of further reducing malaria deaths and cases significantly by 2030,” he noted in an inclusive interview adding that political commitment and engagement from all levels of society will be crucial to ensure we reach those most vulnerable – pregnant women and children under 5 in sub-Saharan Africa – who still suffer from malaria.”
The RBM Partnership to End Malaria is the largest global platform for coordinated action against malaria. Originally established as Roll Back Malaria (RBM) Partnership in 1998, it mobilizes for action and resources and forges consensus among partners. The Partnership is composed of more than 500 partners, including malaria endemic countries, their bilateral and multilateral development partners, the private sector, nongovernmental and community-based organisations, foundations, and research and academic institutions.
Malaria in Tanzania is the leading cause of morbidity and mortality, especially in children under 5 years and pregnant women. It ranks number one in both outpatient and inpatient statistics. There are many ways in which malaria has affected people’s life. One villager from Chamwino district laments,
I lost my closer and lovely relatives including my mother, my father, three daughters and two sons of my brothers, two young brothers and young sister, my sister-in-law and a number of my beloved relatives and friends in one year
Daudi Malogo .
Another small scale businessman, Juma Hamisi from Ipagala street in the skirts of the city of Dodoma mourns his friend, Very recently, I lost my best friend, a journalist, due to Malaria. Its very sad indeed to mention a list of the people died from this disease. I wish it is the high time to get rid of it.”
Most obviously, malaria has a huge burden on health services, as sick people require diagnosis, treatment and sometimes hospital care. Furthermore, the days of illness prevent people from going to work or children from going to school, and this can have a tremendous outcome not only on a society’s economy but on the household level.
In education, high levels of absenteeism from school still hinder efforts to improve literacy rates and stall the progress of education systems. Moreover, since children are one of the highest risk groups for infection with malaria, deaths occur excessively in children under the age of five, contributing significantly to many countries’ high child mortality rates; which often result in high fertility rates, as families seek to replace children lost to Malaria.
This in turn can lead to a rapidly growing population rate, which later on can result in a workforce, which is larger than the number of available jobs, leading to high youth unemployment and dissatisfaction.
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