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Kigezi adopts new ways to rid region of malaria
The mosquito-borne disease is still one of Africa's major killer diseases. Malaria kills an average of 400,000 people globally, mainly children. PHOTO/FILE/COURTESY
What you need to know:
- Larviciding is the regular use of chemical insecticides on stagnant water bodies to reduce the adult mosquito population by killing off their larva before they develop into adults.
The use of larviciding method to kill off mosquitoes at larva stage in Kabale, Kisoro and Rubanda districts has reduced malaria cases in Kigezi Sub-region.
Health ministry experts now want the method adopted for constant use.
Larviciding is the regular use of chemical insecticides on stagnant water bodies to reduce the adult mosquito population by killing off their larva before they develop into adults.
Health minister Dr Jane Ruth Aceng in June last year launched larviciding method to kill off mosquito larvae in Kigezi to stop mosquito breeding and multiplication.
The Kisoro District health officer, Dr Stephen Nsabiyumva, and the acting Kabale District Health Officer, Mr Alfred Besigensi, on Friday said the launch of larviciding method in June last year has cut down significantly the cases of malaria.
“Before the application of the larviciding method of killing mosquito larvae in Kisoro, cases of malaria stood at 80 percent for all the patients that presented symptoms of fever, but now we register between only 2 to 5 cases a week,” he said.
“We are now doing the second round of larviciding in the malaria endemic sub-counties of Nyundo, Murola,Kanaba and Busanza and we hope to eradicate malaria in Kisoro District because the method has proved to be effective,” Dr Nsabiyumva said.
The Rubanda District Health Officer, Dr Abdon Birungi, said with the use of larvaciding method, malaria cases in one of the malaria endemic sub-county of Bufundi reduced from 60 cases to 20 cases in only one year and their target is to eliminate to zero by the end of June next year.
“In Rubanda, we applied larviciding method in all the stagnant water in Bufundi Sub-county because it had high cases of malaria. But in only one year, the cases of malaria reduced from 60 cases to 20 cases,” Dr Birungi said.
“We have now rolled out the same method to other sub-counties of Muko, Ikumba and Rubanda Town Council with a target of eradicating malaria in the district by June next year because it has proved to be effective," he said.
Mr Gabriel Matwale from the vector control division of Ministry of Health and the Rubanda District vector control officer, Mr Grace Turyakira, said that Safe, a dustable chlorophyll powder used in the larviciding method, is not hazardous to any ecosystem or living organisms in water because it targets only the mosquito larva.
“Safe, a dustable chlorophyll powder that we use in the killing of mosquito larva is safe for humans and other water organisms because it is designed to kill mosquito larvae only,” Mr Turyakira said as he used his tongue to test the same powder.
Mr Matwale said plans are underway to start manufacturing the Safe powder in Uganda to reduced costs of importing it from Egypt.
The Village Health Team members that are on the front line applying the method say they need personal protective equipment such as gum boots and rain coats because the October rainy season is disrupting their activities.
