Zimbabwe takes measures to control malaria outbreak

Zimbabwean Health and Child Welfare Minister Timothy Stamps said in a statement that the government was taking a series of measures to curb an outbreak of malaria in the country, the Xinhua news agency reported on Saturday. The report said Zimbabwe had developed and used a number of strategies to reduce the impact of malaria and these included case management, malaria surveillance, epidemic control, selective indoor residual spraying, the introduction of insecticide treated bed-nets, public awareness programmes and Roll Back Malaria - a global initiative to half the number of malaria deaths by the year 2010 and reduce the impact of malaria in the world. “The objectives of Roll Back Malaria are to encourage wider action and partnership to tackle malaria, encourage commitment by more countries to reduce or waver taxes and tariffs for all malaria control tools, mosquito nets, anti-malaria drugs, insecticides,” Stamps was quoted as saying. He was also quoted as saying that the health ministry was appealing for about US $100,000 for its malaria outbreak control programme. He said the money was needed to pay incentive allowances to people involved in the outbreak and to buy tents, stretcher beds and anti-malaria drugs.