Malaria complicates Bobirwa COVID-19 fight
Koketso Kgoboge | Thursday April 23, 2020 18:15
Following the dire medical scenario, The District Health Management Team (DHMT) in Bobonong has so far recorded 196 malaria cases with one death and 36 complicated cases after the disease broke out two weeks ago.
DHMT head of preventive at Bobonong, Dr. Kaite Mashini revealed that the 15-year-old male student from Molalatau succumbed to the disease at Bobonong Primary Hospital where he was admitted.
The deceased contracted the disease at Mampewa cattle post near Motloutse River at Molalatau. He died 10 days later after being diagnosis with acute renal failure, as a malaria complication.
For the past two weeks, Bobonong Hospital admission block has been inundated with malaria patients, and some had to be referred to Selebi-Phikwe and Mmadinare hospitals due to the gravity of the problem.
Most cases are reportedly from the cattle posts where there are a lot of water bodies such as dams, rivers, wells, ponds, and drinking troughs to mention a few. The water bodies could not be treated because they are used for drinking and watering.
Meanwhile Dr Mashini also revealed that the coverage of indoor residual spraying at the cattleposts this year was below the 85% target required to ensure community protection.
He is of the view that the migration of significant numbers of community members to the cattleposts and lands due to closure of the schools and the lockdown for COVID-19 contributed to the outbreak.
He noted there was a significant increase in the number of children aged 15 and below affected by malaria in the numbers recorded thus far.
“This increase of children cases is explained by the migration of children to the cattle posts,” Mashini noted in his response to Mmegi questionnaire.
He further noted that trends of infection in sex ratios have not changed as it has been in the past within the country and in many other countries. The most affected are males accounting to three-quarters of the infection.
The reasons, he said, could be linked to socio-economic activities that men may be involved in during peak biting times of the mosquito. The activities include working in the fields and at the cattleposts.
“Another reason could be linked to sleeping arrangements. In some households, men tend to sleep outdoors and this may increase their risk of exposure to mosquitoes,” he said.
He added: ”Our advice is for people to protect themselves and take the precautionary steps to avoid being infected with Malaria.”
Malaria transmission in Bobirwa is seasonal and closely related to rainfall. Usually, the transmission occurs from October to May each year with a peak mostly appearing from mid-February to March.
This year, the transmission season started the first week of December 2019. However, the increase in the number of cases started at the beginning of March and reached the peak at the end of March and beginning of April.
In February, the area (Bobirwa) recorded five cases of malaria; the next month the cases increased to 37 and outbreak was declared in the first week of April when the area recorded 62 cases before a massive 82 the next week.
Bobirwa experienced the worst Malaria transmission season in 2017 recording 306 cases. The cases declined to 106 the following year and 50 last year. This year could be the worst with 191 cases recorded mid transmission season if the situation is not contained.
The head of preventive, however, said they are running community mobilisation during contact tracing and during Covid-19 sensitisation in the villages and cattleposts.
After the two weeks of a significant outbreak, he disclosed that the cases had dropped. He said they managed to undertake reactive indoor residual spraying (IRS), and were planning to distribute long-lasting insecticide-treated nets in all cattleposts.
He said his office plan to achieve above 85% coverage of IRS during the subsequent IRS campaign, and are looking to the community to open their houses and allow spraying.