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Malaria a National Disaster, says Tanzanian President
By pmlay
Submitted on 15 February, 2010 - 09:19
ShareThisPresident Jakaya Kikwete has declared malaria a national disaster. The disease kills 291 people in Tanzania every day.
“This is the disease which kills more Tanzanians than any other,” said Kikwete on Saturday at the launching of a special campaign against Malaria in Dar es Salaam. He said the war against malaria was one which Tanzanians must fight and win. “We have the motive, zeal and ability to end it,” he stressed.
The President said 291 people, many of them children, were dying of every day of malaria, a disease which can be prevented and cured. “In other words, 10 people die of malaria every hour. This is a big number. This is a national tragedy,” Kikwete told the nation in a televised launching ceremony.
The president mentioned three ways of fighting and winning the war against malaria. They include use of insecticide-treated mosquito nets and ensuring availability of the nets; preventing the replication of mosquitoes that carry malaria and lastly, using effective drugs to treat those with malaria.
On nets, the President further said that while children under five were currently getting them for free, plans were in the final stages to enable every household to have at least two treated nets.
“We must ensure we annihilate these mosquitoes and their breeding sites. It is possible to ensure that we become the last generation to die of malaria. Other countries in the world have managed. It is possible for us to make it. Remember Zanzibar have managed, we can as well do it,” said Kikwete.
The president said the campaign would strive to prevent unnecessary deaths. “This is a campaign to save our lives," he said. "It is a campaign to prevent deaths which can be avoided.”
The campaign is a collective undertaking between the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, and other key stakeholders. These include institutions like Malaria No More, Population Services International (PSI) and Johns Hopkins University of the USA.
