Patients suffering from malaria were able to smile when they were visited by Vhembe Executive Mayor Sam Moeti in Vhufuli Hospital’s packed malaria ward last Friday.

Moeti said visiting the sick is important because the greatest healing therapy is friendship and love. The 60 hospitalized patients told Moeti that they are feeling better and they are getting excellent treatment in the hospital. The mayor confirmed that the district municipality will support the malaria suffers until they are discharged.

The director of communication in the Department of Health, Mr Phuti Seloba, confirmed that the infected people have been admitted to the Vhufuli Hospital. Two patients are still critical at Vhufuli and the Tshilidzini Hospital. Seloba said most of the patients would be discharged next week, because their conditions are stable.

The “malaria villages” are Tshipise, Makuya, Masisi and other villages in the Mutale and Thulamela municipal areas. Seloba said malaria control officers have been sent to vaccinate the people in the Vhembe District on Monday. He advised other people from the affected areas to consult doctors in order to know if they are infected or not. Infected people can be identified by sweating, shivering, stomachache and excessive heat in the body. Anyone with these symptoms must consult the doctor. “Children must avoid playing in swamps,” Seloba added.

The chairperson of the Vhembe Traditional Healers Association, Mr Mbulaheni Neluvhola, also wishes the sick a speedy recovery.