Johannesburg – South Africa is among countries that received global awards from the World Health Organization for their efforts to achieve important milestones towards malaria elimination.
The national Department of Health said this is the first time it had been given the prestigious award. It was handed out during the 4th Annual Global Forum of Malaria-Eliminating Countries, taking place in Cape Town.
The other countries that walked away with awards for achieving malaria-free status included China and El Salvador.
The department spokesperson, Foster Mohale, said the South African government was committed to eliminating malaria, and as such, a solid investment case was developed and received through a conditional grant.
"The country has put these resources to good use and insured that its programmes were capacitated and necessary resources were availed to implement its malaria-elimination strategies. The implementation of these strategies wasn’t deployed in a silo but in collaboration with supporting partners," Mohale said.
The department said this award wouldn’t be possible without the combined efforts of research institutions, sister departments, and the department’s malaria-elimination partners, the Elimination 8 and MOSASWA-LSDI2, given that malaria elimination needs a multi-sectoral approach.
"The South African government is working to eliminate malaria. Malaria elimination involves a systematic process of developing strategies and ensuring their robust implementation. Malaria is a preventable and curable disease. If not diagnosed and treated early, it can also be fatal," the department said.
The Star