Malaria on front-burner, says Ramsaran

Miners in Region Seven display their treated mosquito nets

The Ministry of Health says malaria treatment and sensitisation are priority this year after rising gold prices have created a population explosion in mining districts, where the disease is prevalent.

Although the ministry forecast a 15% to 18% reduction in the number of malaria cases by 2012 year end as compared with the previous year, it has also observed that over the past four years the number of persons engaged in the gold mining sector in the affected malarious endemic areas – especially regions 1, 7, 8 and 9 – has significantly