Malaria kills two in Palapye
Lindiwe Mozola | Tuesday February 21, 2017 14:58
Already, an additional 26 have been diagnosed with malaria.
Palapye DHMT representative, Thato Bailanye revealed the possibility of an outbreak during the Serorome Primary School parents’ seminar recently, held under the theme, ‘Stakeholder Involvement, and a Key to Academic Excellence’.
He warned people to keep their environment clean so that they avoid mosquito breeding particularly the deadly female anopheles, which causes malaria. He said that they should make sure that they dispose of water safely. Most importantly, people were encouraged to avoid water that settles in one place, as it could become a breeding place for mosquitoes.
Bailanye also added that residents should buy mosquito nets and wear long sleeved clothes when they sleep at night to avoid mosquito bites.
“Twenty-six is a very big number given the fact that over the years we were only registering two to three cases, which was a breakthrough as we are looking to end malaria by 2018. However, with this new development our efforts to end malaria by 2018 might be in vain. We call people to take precautions by all means,” he said.
He said that whenever people have the following symptoms they should seek medical attention immediately, that are headache, diarrhoea, and pain all over the body, sweating and nausea.
He stated that parents should make sure that they take care of their children by applying all precautions and also they should encourage them to wear long clothes.
He said that malaria is very dangerous and can take lives. However, if people stick to the precautions it can be avoided.
Meanwhile, a social worker at the Ministry of Basic Education, Itumeleng Seabe decried high teenage pregnancies in Palapye.
She said that in 2016 they have recorded 36 cases of teenage pregnancy in schools; with zero cases in primary schools, 19 cases in junior schools and 17 cases in senior schools.
She said that they have realised that most students that fall pregnant are Standard Seven pupils going on to junior schools because their pregnancies start showing at Form One level.“This means that they fall pregnant while they have closed schools waiting to be admitted for junior schools. The same goes for senior pupils who fall pregnant while waiting for Form Three results, which give us the impression that while they are at home after they have closed schools they start engaging in sexual activities as their parents will be at work,” she said.
Seabe attributed teenage pregnancies to the bad approach by parents saying that they do not communicate the right way with their children though communication is key in avoiding such cases.
She said that a typical African parent believes the only way to communicate with their children is haul some insults and accusations, little do they know that speaking aggressively towards a child fuels their wild behaviour.
She further appealed to parents to learn to listen to their children and find out what really drives them to be astray as well as love and care for them.
She as well pointed an accusing finger at parents that do not act the right way in the presence of their children such as having multiple partners because children mimic and adopt their parents’ lifestyles.
Seabe added: “There is no manual in raising a child. May we act the way we will want our children to live, as we are their mirrors. The way we raise them determines the choices they make and speak positivity into their lives for positive outcomes”.