Question NW3740 to the Minister of Health

Reply:

a) The National Department of Health raises awareness through various communication platforms such as social media, which includes Facebook and Twitter. There are also periodic webinars conducted, which are open to the public. There are national and local radio malaria campaigns conducted by both the National and Provincial Departments of Health. Community campaigns are conducted before and during the high peak seasons to sensitize and raise awareness. Key Malaria days, such as World Malaria Day, SADC Malaria day and Mosquito day are also commemorated across the country.

b) (i)(ii)(iii) South Africa’s strategy to prevent, detect and diagnose Malaria in high-risk provinces is implemented in Mpumalanga, Limpopo and KwaZulu-Natal. In each of the provinces, the Department has fully functional Malaria Control Programmes which oversee activities geared towards malaria elimination and consist of the following:

• The screening and testing of patients who show signs and symptoms of malaria is prioritized at facilities. This is to ensure patients are promptly diagnosed and treated with the recommended first line treatment to avert unfavourable outcomes and to disrupt ongoing transmission and/or spread.
• Subsequently, active case finding is implemented at community level, which entails screening, testing and treatment for any identified cases to avert further community transmission.
• Surveillance units deployed to the border areas to expand access to early diagnosis and treatment for border communities as well as mobile and migrant populations.
• Prophylaxis is also available in all public health facilities for those who are traveling from non-endemic areas to endemic areas.
• Vector control through Indoor Residual Spraying (IRS), supplemented by the treatment of stagnant water bodies, also called larviciding. This is timed to cover the peak transmission periods.
• Targeted Health Promotion and Risk Communication Community Engagement.

END.