Joint efforts to eliminate malaria stressed

LAKKI MARWAT: With more than 2000 positive malaria cases during the first three months of the ongoing year, the health department held various activities to mark world malaria day and to raise awareness about the mosquito-borne disease and contain it through integrated efforts.

“From January to March, the health experts screened a total of 45,673 persons with malaria symptoms at 15 micro-scopy, 35 public sector and 39 private rapid diagnosis centres across the district,” a health official said at the sideline of a seminar organised at the district health offices in connection with world malaria day.

He said that of them, 2164 tested positive and provided free anti-malaria treatment at the health facilities. The frontier primary health care (FPHC) in collaboration with the health department, Indus Hospital and Health Network and Vector- Borne Disease (VBD) KP had organized the seminar, walk and other anti-malaria awareness activities.

At the seminar, district malaria control officer Azmat Ali Shah underlined the need for joint efforts to eliminate malaria.“Together, we can eradicate the vector-borne disease”, he said, stressing an urgent need to promote investment in malaria control and prevention programme.He said that free malaria diagnosis and treatment facilities were available in hospitals and health centers across the district.