GHealth News – Cameroon launched a year-long anti-malaria campaign dubbed “Stop Malaria” on Thursday amidst rising numbers of infections.
The campaign will take place nationwide targeting all communities and especially business leaders, local elected officials, traditional rulers, religious rulers and associations, Manaouda Malachie, the country’s Minister of Public Health said while launching the campaign in the capital, Yaounde.
“This is one of our biggest anti-malaria campaigns which aims to step up official efforts to reduce the infection and death rate from malaria and to alleviate its heavy social and economic burden on the population,” Malachie told reporters.
“We have seen an increase in infection rate but the Cameroonian government will spare no efforts in reversing the trend and stopping malaria,” he added.
Figures from the country’s Ministry of Public Health indicate that 3,150,784 malaria cases and 3,863 deaths were reported in 2021 representing respectively 30 percent of the reasons for consultation, against 29 percent in 2019 and 14.3 percent of deaths in health facilities in 2019 compared to 17.2 percent in 2020.
According to the World Malaria Report 2021, Cameroon is the 11th country most affected by the disease.
Source: Xinhua
