LOUIS TRICHARDT - An increase in cases of malaria in the northern region of the province was quickly brought under control and is now down to normal levels. The Department of Health and Welfare has a task force of more than 800 full-time officials in the field to actively combat the disease.

The Malaria Control Programme Manager of the Department of Health and Welfare, Mr Philip Kruger, said this week the Vhembe, Mopani and Bohlabelo Districts are malaria high-risk areas and malaria is seasonal in these areas. Few cases are reported in the winter from these areas, with cases increasing during the rainy and hot summer season. For the past five malaria seasons, between 3 000 and 9 900 malaria cases have been reported in the province.

For the first six months of the malaria season of July 2002 to December 2002, 1 520 malaria cases were reported in the province. This number of cases was far less than the 2 980 cases reported during the same period in the 2001/2002 season.

Cases, however, increased substantially as from the second week of January 2003 with 1 584 cases reported during January alone. This increase was mainly seen in the Thohoyandou, Mutale, Malamulele and Giyani areas. This increase was quickly brought under control and as from the last week of January, cases are again down to normal levels.

Mr Kruger says due to the present dry season, low numbers of malaria are to be expected. The province is, however, epidemic prone and isolated outbreaks do occur during dry seasons. Small pools are formed in dry riverbeds, which are ideal breeding places for malaria mosquitoes. An increase in malaria is also normally observed in January due to the increased movement of people during December.

The Department of Health and Welfare has 42 teams consisting of 830 officials who are full-time occupied with malaria control operations. The most important activities in this programme are the spraying of houses and huts in the high-risk areas, with insecticides with a long residual effect. More than 800 000 houses are sprayed each year by these teams. The spraying of standing water to prevent the breeding of malaria mosquitoes, the tracing of all notified malaria cases to ensure that control efforts are in place in areas where malaria occur and the distribution of mosquito coils to communities at risk are also done. The Department is also embarking on mosquito bed net projects in certain high-risk malaria areas and also launched health education campaigns on malaria in risk areas.

Mr Kruger emphasised that individuals and communities can act to prevent themselves from contracting malaria. Individuals should remain indoors between dusk and dawn. When they must go outdoors at night, they should wear long sleeved clothing to protect exposed skin. Their houses should be sprayed inside with an aerosol insecticide for flying insects at dusk, especially the bedrooms, after closing the windows. Mosquito coils or mats should be burned in living and sleeping areas during the night and mosquito proof bed nets should be used with edges tucked in under the mattress. Individuals from outside malaria risk areas, visiting high-risk areas, can take antimalarial drugs to protect themselves against malaria. The symptoms of malaria are very similar to those of flu. These include headache, fever, muscular and joint pains, sweating, shivering attacks, nausea, diarrhoea and fatigue.

Mr Kruger stressed that malaria is a treatable disease. If any of the symptoms develop, people should immediately consult the nearest clinic, health centre, hospital or doctor. It should be mentioned that if a patient was in a malaria risk area, the patient should be tested immediately for malaria. A blood test should also be done. In the majority of cases, examination of blood smears will reveal malaria parasites. If not found initially, an experienced laboratory should examine further specimens before the infection is excluded, as false negatives may be found in the initial examination.