Minister of Health, Dr Bheri Ramsaran said education is key to reducing the incidence of malaria, when he presented 5,000 Long Lasting Impregnated Nets (LLINs) to acting Region Seven health officer Merlene Ferrier.
Along with the nets, posters and pamphlets with information about the mosquito-borne disease will also be distributed and plans are in train to host another discussion about the disease in one month’s time.
At a press conference in December, the Vector Control Services unit had committed to distributing 50,000 nets from January 15, to areas where the disease is prevalent.
The Government Information Agency (GINA) reported that there were 8,578 new cases of malaria recorded in 2012 with 4,593 positive rechecks. The treated nets will be distributed to several communities in Region Seven and will target miners in particular.
The RHO explained that malaria has long been a challenge in Region Seven, probably because it is the largest mining area. Ferrier also said that the increase in the number of positive rechecks is attributed to persons who fail to
