Million spent annually to fight malaria

The South African government spends about US $11.25 million each year to control malaria, the country’s Medical Research Council (MRC) was quoted in news reports as saying on Tuesday. MRC researcher Rajendar Maharaj said that the amount included money used for treatment of thousands of malaria victims in the north of the country, and border areas with southern Mozambique and Swaziland. He said controlling the spread of malaria was a precursor to the development of the region. More than 500,000 people live in the Maputaland area of northern KwaZulu-Natal and they alone account for 90 percent of the malaria cases reported in the province. Maharaj said the MRC’s objective was to decrease the incidents of malaria in Maputaland from 400 per 1,000 people to 20 per 1,000 over the next five years. In the border areas with Swaziland and Mozambique, the aim was to cut cases from 250 per 1,000 to five in 1,000.