Government launches campaign to eradicate malaria in Amerindian villages

GEORGETOWN (CMC):

Guyana has launched a campaign to distribute long-lasting insecticide-treated nets (LLINs) in the Amerindian village of Aishalton, Deep South Rupununi, Region Nine, as part of a national strategy to eliminate malaria in the country.

The health authorities said the goal of the campaign is to reduce the transmission of the disease by providing a barrier against mosquitoes in endemic communities like Aishalton and in regions one, seven and eight, and mining areas.

Health Minister Dr Frank Anthony emphasised the importance of people’s responsibility in eradicating malaria, highlighting the need for residents to dispose of garbage properly, and be aware of preventative measures that they can use within their residences.

“You don’t have to get malaria if we take precautions, and that is very important, to take precautions, to prevent yourself from getting malaria … . It makes no sense that you have a net and you don’t use it. Once you get a net, you got to use and use it properly … government alone cannot fight malaria, its everyone’s problem,” he said.

Anthony said he believes that the disease can be fully eradicated in Region Nine, and “the lessons that we learn here, we can adopt it and move it over to the regions and use the same strategies, so that, in a couple of years, we’ll remove malaria as a problem in Guyana”.

He said that substantial investments have been made to train additional microscopists and to make rapid-test kits available to detect cases.

United States Ambassador to Guyana Nicole Theriot, who was present at the weekend launch of the initiative, commended the government for embarking on an ambitious goal.

She said that the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) has provided more than US$5.2 million in technical assistance to Guyana’s national malaria programme, and is looking forward to continuing collaborations to advance the health and well-being of communities nationwide.

“Long-Lasting Insecticide-Treated Nets (LLINs) … are one of the World Health Organization’s most effective strategy to prevent malaria. To meet our shared goal to eliminate malaria in Guyana but also around the world, we must ensure 80 per cent get net coverage in endemic communities like Aishalton,” the diplomat said.

PAHO/WHO Representative Daniel Albert also said that lessons will be learned and shared with other countries from Guyana’s initiatives.

The National Malaria Strategic Plan has identified the need to optimise distribution and use of treated nets in malaria-affected communities in regions one, seven, eight, nine and ten as a key goal under Strategic Priority Number Four.

To achieve this, mass free distributions will be held every three years in Guyana, which will be supported by continuous net distributions through multiple channels.

This campaign aims to provide protection to the most vulnerable populations, particularly those living and working in the mining areas where the risk of malaria is highest. The goal is to ensure that every family, child, and individual has access to the protection they need to prevent malaria.