With strong support from partners, the Gambia Government in the past has embarked on an aggressive campaign to stem the tide of malaria, which has contributed to the significant drop in the prevalence of malaria.
Suffice it to state here that The Gambia is one of the six countries in the World Health Organization African Region that have achieved the 2020 milestones of reducing malaria cases and deaths by 40% compared to 2015.
With a prevalence of only 0.2 percent, the country can now see a clear path to ‘no new cases’ of malaria by the years to come.
It’s in the news that the Malaria Control Unit at the Ministry of Health recently embarked on a rigourous campaign by distributing bed nets and indoor house-to-house spraying across URR.
The exercise is to consolidate the gains made this far in the reduction of malaria cases in the area.
Despite gains made in malaria prevention, officials believe the country is still recording malaria cases and thus the campaign in the region.
The Gambia through the Ministry of Health has not relented in its efforts to make Gambia a malaria free country by 2025. This vision is amply demonstrated through ensuring universal and equitable access to malaria prevention and treatment interventions.
We want to commend the Ministry for the giant steps it has taken to totally eradicate this deadly disease in the country. The roads to its total eradication might be tougher, but the country will certainly achieve its target motive.
Therefore, this campaign is timely and worthy, as it is aimed at totally eliminating malaria, thus combating it spread annually.
It will also reduce the lifespan of mosquitoes which cause malaria.
We want to reiterate the fact that communities play a crucial role in the overall success of this campaign. Therefore, their cooperation and support is not only important, but needed to help officials in achieving their target objectives.
Let's all stand up and make Gambia a malaria free nation.