Vice President George Kunda says Zambia has made major progress in scaling up high impact interventions for combating malaria since the Heads of State Summit on malaria in Abuja, Nigeria in 2000.
Mr Kunda said the country has scaled up key interventions among them the Indoor Residual Spraying (IRS), distribution and use of Insecticide Treated Mosquito nets, case management and the Malaria in Pregnancy Programme.
He said the IRS which initially had been implemented in five urban districts as a pilot programme in 2003 has now been implemented in 54 of the 73 districts in the country.
The Vice President said government has since 2003 distributed over seven million mosquito nets to its citizens across the country, saying this has increased ownership of mosquito nets among citizens from 38 percent in 2006 to 64 percent this year.
He added that Zambia has also scaled up access to diagnostics and treatment of malaria at community level by using community health workers through home management of malaria and has also recorded an improvement in the uptake of intermittent preventive treatment from 59 percent in 2006 to 70 percent in 2010.
He said these interventions have resulted in the country recording a decline in malaria cases by 66 percent as highlighted in an assessment that was done by the World Health Organization (WHO) in 2008.
Mr Kunda said with this achievement, Zambia has surpassed the set targets by the Abuja Declarations by Heads of States in 2000 of reducing malaria illnesses and deaths by 50 percent and the RBM goal of reducing the global malaria burden by 50 percent by 2010.
The Vice President was speaking in Lusaka today when he opened the Roll Back Malaria (RBM) partnership board meeting at the Mulungushi International Conference Centre in Lusaka today.
Mr Kunda said that the country has recorded a reduction in severe anemia in children by 56 percent between 2006 and 2010 and malaria parasitaemia from 22 percent in 2006 to 16 percent in 2010.
He further stated that under-five mortality decreased from 168 deaths per 1000 live births in 2001 to 119 deaths per 1000 live births in 2007.
Mr Kunda said the Zambian government remains committed to fight malaria as evidenced by the strong political will and leadership, increased financial resources, strengthened and well coordinated partnership as well as enhanced community engagement.
And speaking earlier, RBM Partnership Executive Director Awa Marie Coll-seck praised Zambia for successfully implementing an effective malaria response.
Prof Coll-seck said Zambia now faces a promising future with regard to malaria control and the reduction of the number of malaria cases and deaths.
She said the country has achieved the 2010 RBM target of the Universal coverage as called for by the United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki Moon.
Prof Coll-seck said the case of Zambia serves as an example not only for other countries in the region by sharing its best practices, but is also an inspiration for the partnership to reach the 2015 Millennium Development Goal targets.
ZANIS
Imwe ba Kunda, my people have never had any indoor or out door spray by anyone. They are still getting sick from malaria. what are you yapping about?
Donated mosquitoe Nets find their way to fishermen who uses them to catch fish.
How come GK himself has malaria all the time?
Malaria is rampant. He is telling lies.