Malaria on the rise in South Africa, parasite becomes more resistant

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Malaria is on the rise in South Africa, as insecticides become less effective and the parasite that causes the disease becomes more resistant.

This comes as South Africa commemorates Malaria Week which is aimed at creating awareness about malaria and mobilising communities to participate in malaria control programmes.

Research shows that almost half of the world’s population is at risk of malaria.

Co-founder and CEO of Goodbye Malaria, Sherwin Charles says, “The current numbers and risks highlight that Malaria, is on an increasing trend. From about 2018 the great progress that we’ve made since the early 2000s had stalled and had plateaued. What we found is that there were risks that were rising that really posed real challenges- these included insecticide risks, as mosquitoes were getting used to the insecticides that we use. The second thing was that the parasite that creates the disease in our bodies started to build some resistance to current medications.”

The Department of Health urges all people travelling to and from high-malaria-risk provinces which include KwaZulu-Natal, Mpumalanga and Limpopo to take the appropriate precautionary measures to prevent possible infections as the country enters malaria season.

The department’s spokesperson, Foster Mohale says more than 7400 malaria cases have been recorded since the beginning of this year.

“At least 66 deaths have been recorded during this period. All people who experience malaria-suspected symptoms, which include headache, fever, chills muscle, and joint pains are urged to visit their local health facility without delays for effective treatment if they test positive. Pregnant women and children under five years should avoid visiting malaria-endemic areas, unless they take precautionary measures.”

Malaria | Concerns over spike in cases in SA