Malaria Remains Leading Cause of Illness in Namibia: Government To Target Pregnant Women, Children in ITN Distribution Efforts

Malaria is a primary cause of illness in Namibia as the country records between 4,000 and 5,000 annual cases and up to 1,300 annual deaths from the disease, Simwanza Simenda, deputy permanent secretary in the Ministry of Health and Social Services, said last week, the Namibia Economist reports. Malaria primarily affects pregnant women and children under age five and is one of the leading illnesses recorded in hospital outpatient departments, according to Simenda. He made the comments while receiving 300 long-lasting insecticide-treated nets from JacMed Retail Enterprises. The health ministry will target pregnant women and children in malaria-endemic areas of the country when distributing the donated ITNs, Simenda said. He added that Namibia aims to reduce malaria morbidity and mortality by half by 2010 and distribute ITNs to 60% of pregnant women and children under age five under the Abuja Declaration. In addition, JacMed in 2004 acquired a two-year contract with the health ministry to supply the pesticide DDT for use in malaria control efforts (Namibia Economist, 4/7).