The Zambian Health Minister, Sylvia Masebo, said on Monday that malaria remains a major public health concern in the country despite interventions against it,

The country recorded a 37 per cent spike in malaria cases to 11.1 million in 2023 from 8.1 million the previous year, while malaria-related deaths rose to 1,602 in 2023 from 1,343 in 2022.

The minister gave a briefing, ahead of World Malaria Day, on April 25.

“Every day, 30,400 of our people get infected with malaria, and four people die of malaria,” Ms Masebo said.

The theme for this year’s World Malaria Day commemoration is “Gender, Health Equity and Human Rights,” with the accompanying slogan “Accelerating the fight against malaria for a more equitable world.”

Ms Masebo said that 18 per cent of the infections were in children under the age of 5 years, and 1 per cent were pregnant women.

She said that despite the gloomy picture; Zambia has an opportunity to change the situation through collaborative efforts with stakeholders.

The minister said that in addressing malaria, the government distributed more than 11.6 million insecticide-treated mosquito nets across the country, while 742,057 eligible structures had been sprayed through an in-door spraying program.

She added that the government continued to strengthen community systems through training and empowering community health workers and other community-based volunteers.

(Xinhua/NAN)