KARUSI May 9th (ABP) – Under the theme “zero malaria, I commit myself” and under the high patronage of the second Deputy President of the Republic of Burundi, Mr. Joseph Butore, Burundi celebrated the World Malaria Day at the Buhiga Stadium in Karusi Province (Central East) on Tuesday May 07, 2019, a check by ABP revealed.

Mr. Butore stressed that malaria is a global concern, the reason why all the countries of the world have dedicated that day to the fight against malaria, a disease that comes in first place as a cause of death, hospitalization and treatment in health facilities in Burundi. But the government has never crossed its arms in coping with this disease, as children and pregnant women who are the most vulnerable to malaria have benefited from free healthcare for more than ten years, Butore said.

Mobile teams on advanced positions are built each time in the event of an epidemic and community health workers are in all the villages to reach the “zero malaria, I commit myself” bet, he confessed. Similarly, long-lasting insecticide-treated mosquito nets (MILDA) are regularly distributed and awareness-raising campaigns on malaria prevention and treatment are carried out on a daily basis throughout Burundian territory, he concluded.

The Minister of Public Health and the Fight against AIDS, Mr. Thaddée Ndikumana, said on his part that from time to time, malaria is presented as an epidemic, here and there in Burundi, but that the combination of efforts by the health services, the administration and the various partners always manage to control the situation.

Karusi province is one of the most affected by malaria in Burundi, said the adviser of the governor of Karusi province, Mr. Innocent Ntirampeba, in his welcoming speech. The health province has counted 238,960 cases of malaria in 2018 and has already recorded 146,558 cases since the beginning of this year 2019, he announced.

The representative of the UN agencies also relied on figures to show that malaria is a scourge in Africa in general and in sub-Saharan Africa in particular. He pointed out that WHO is doing its best for the prevention and treatment of the disease by providing support to the neediest countries.

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