EDITORIAL: According to a recent World Health Organisation (WHO) statement, so far 42 countries and territories (having a high incidence of the disease) have reached the malaria-free milestone.
But no such luck for Pakistan. Here, malaria remains one of the most serious public health problems with a high death rate compared with any other country in South Asia. Some 3.4 million cases of the parasitical disease were reported last year, which is relatable to the devastating floods that hit vast swathes of the country.
Water stayed stagnant for months serving as an ideal breeding ground for mosquitoes. However, even in normal times, malaria is endemic to this country with significant regional variances. The areas most susceptible to its seasonal outbreaks are in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), Sindh and Balochistan.
After some ups and downs over the last few decades, the rate of malaria cases in Punjab has been quite low. In fact in 2020, the government approached the WHO to start the process of declaring the province malaria-free (which can happen if 0.05 percent out of 1000 tests for the malarial vector are found to be negative for three consecutive years). That was soon after a well-managed campaign to stop the spread of dengue was carried out destroying the dengue mosquito through sprays and fumigations, backed by a vibrant public awareness campaign.
Apparently, the chemicals used to kill dengue mosquito also helped eliminate some of malaria causing mosquitoes. The effort though did not go far enough as rains and floods severely affected southern Punjab, resulting in a rapid rise in malaria cases.
Another reason is said to be diversion of resources to Covid-19 epidemic control measures. Yet another explanation for the non-starter, a press report ascribes to an unnamed National Health Services (NHS) ministry official, was the change in the management of Malaria Control Programme, which raises questions about the attitude of those in-charge towards a public health menace.
As regards the wider picture, articulating its national anti-malaria strategy the NHS is reported to have set its aim to make Punjab, Azad Jammu and Kashmir, Gilgit-Baltistan and Islamabad malaria-free by 2025; reduce its incidence in KP, Sindh and Balochistan up to 70 percent by 2030; and banish it from all over the country by 2035. This target leaves a lot to be desired. There seems to be no reason why all the provinces and other units cannot achieve the preferred target together.
Health being a provincial subject, provincial governments must allocate necessary resources to the fight against malaria, causing a high rate of morbidity and mortality, particularly among children and teenagers.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2023