Sierra Leone: Alarm over surge in Malaria cases in Pujehun District

By Kemo Cham

APA-Freetown (Sierra Leone)

The authorities in Sierra Leone’s southern Pujehun District have raised alarm over a sharp rise in Malaria cases and deaths.

Figures attributed to the district health office indicate that in the last six months alone - January to June – 64, 245 cases have been registered, with 22 deaths. All of the deaths were children under five years.

The statistics, obtained through the Pujehun District Council show that 33, 010 cases [14, 509 for adults and 18, 501 for under-five children] were recorded in the first quarter of the year – January to March. And in the second quarter – April to June – 32, 235 cases [14, 205 for adults and 18, 030 for under-fives] were recorded.

This, according to Mohamed Arphan Kabba, Deputy Chief Administrator at the Pujehun District Council, places Pujehun, alongside the northern district of Port Loko, as the district with the highest number of malaria cases in the year so far.

“This illustrates a need for rigorous effort against malaria in the district,” Kabba told APA in a telephone interview on Wednesday.

The council convened a meeting of stakeholders on the issue on Wednesday where they discussed ways of addressing the situation. It brought together NGO and civil society representatives, as well as youth, religious and local political leaders.

The Council official said the involvement of community leaders was crucial given that the fueling factors identified were largely behavioral, rather than lack of healthcare facilities.

Malaria is a deadly disease caused by the parasite called Plasmodium. It is transmitted via the female anopheles mosquito. The disease is predominant in Africa and Asia.

Sierra Leone is among countries with the highest prevalence rate of the disease at 40 percent, according to the Malaria Indicator Survey (MIS) of 2016, produced by the Ministry of Health. That survey shows that the north of the country has the highest prevalence rate at 52 percent. The southern region has a 40-percent prevalence rate, while in the western area, which includes Freetown, the prevalence rate is at 21 percent.

Sierra Leone is also home to the highest rate of Maternal Mortality and it is among the top 10 countries with the highest rates of Infant mortality in the world, according to WHO figures.

Figures from the National Malaria Control Programme (NMCP) in the ministry of Health show that malaria is the main cause of death among children and accounts for the highest outpatient cases.

Over two million malaria cases are recorded annually, half of which are children.

The government’s malaria control strategy focuses on vector control. This is done through bed net distribution and indoor spraying.

The authorities also rely heavy on public education, which emphasizes on environmental cleanliness to deprive mosquitoes breeding ground.

The MIS 2016 reveals a correlation between bed net usage and rise in cases of malaria.

Mr Kabba said this is the case they’d realized in Pujehun, where people are misusing the bed nets with some converting them into fishing net. Some youths use them as goal posts in soccer games.

Kabba said local chiefs and religious leaders were strategic partners to influence people’s behavior in terms of bed net usage and cleaning of their environment.

“These people are relevant because they are key stakeholders and they can enact and enforce bylaws which can prevent some of the practices that promote the prevalence of the disease, like refusal to sleep under a treated mosquito bed net,” he said.

“The words of religious leaders are taking very highly by their people,” he added.