Mosquitoes a global focus
Speaking at the Malaria Summit alongside the 25th Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting, President Hage Geingob highlighted several interventions.
Over the past 28 years the Namibian government has managed to reduce malaria cases by almost 90%, down from half a million cases reported in 1990.
President Hage Geingob told delegates at a malaria summit in the United Kingdom this week that the significant reduction in malaria cases was partly thanks to budgetary commitments to combatting the deadly disease.
He said a total of US$10 million was allocated to efforts to fight malaria over the past five years.
A further grant application for more than US$2.3 million to the Global Fund was recently approved to fund Namibia's national malaria strategy and strategic gaps that had been identified, Geingob said.
Geingob said the support of development partners added to the success.
The president nevertheless admitted that progress in the fight against malaria had stagnated in many regions of the world.
The upswing in malaria cases in recent years formed the basis for the summit in London this week.
The organisers explained that the November 2017 World Malaria Report showed that progress made against malaria had stalled.
“This is a dangerous place to be, it means all the work that's been done so far could be undone, at worst, a resurgence could occur,” they said.
As a result, the malaria community united to put on the Malaria Summit London.
The event aimed to unite leaders of government, business, science, and the global health community during the week of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting to renew their commitment to beat malaria once and for all.
Geingob summed up the steps taken by Namibia to deliver on the promise of ending malaria by 2023.
At a national level, authorities have aligned the national strategy to the global technical strategy, which was approved during the 66th session of the World Health Assembly (WHA), as the global guiding strategy for malaria control and elimination.
Namibia is also in the process of adapting relevant programmes to help fill the gaps to help implement the national strategy on malaria.
Geingob vowed that Namibia was keen to increase national resources to meet the gaps that were currently being experienced in the battle to reduce and eliminate malaria.
Delegates heard that a major challenge was the spread of the illness in districts that border malaria-endemic neighbouring countries.
Geingob said the Global Fund support would enable Namibia to address this issue.
Research forms part of Namibia's efforts to end malaria transmission.
The president told summit attendees that the University of Namibia, supported by the University of California in San Francisco, were conducting research to gather local evidence that would further guide Namibia's programme strategies.
JANA-MARI SMITH
President Hage Geingob told delegates at a malaria summit in the United Kingdom this week that the significant reduction in malaria cases was partly thanks to budgetary commitments to combatting the deadly disease.
He said a total of US$10 million was allocated to efforts to fight malaria over the past five years.
A further grant application for more than US$2.3 million to the Global Fund was recently approved to fund Namibia's national malaria strategy and strategic gaps that had been identified, Geingob said.
Geingob said the support of development partners added to the success.
The president nevertheless admitted that progress in the fight against malaria had stagnated in many regions of the world.
The upswing in malaria cases in recent years formed the basis for the summit in London this week.
The organisers explained that the November 2017 World Malaria Report showed that progress made against malaria had stalled.
“This is a dangerous place to be, it means all the work that's been done so far could be undone, at worst, a resurgence could occur,” they said.
As a result, the malaria community united to put on the Malaria Summit London.
The event aimed to unite leaders of government, business, science, and the global health community during the week of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting to renew their commitment to beat malaria once and for all.
Geingob summed up the steps taken by Namibia to deliver on the promise of ending malaria by 2023.
At a national level, authorities have aligned the national strategy to the global technical strategy, which was approved during the 66th session of the World Health Assembly (WHA), as the global guiding strategy for malaria control and elimination.
Namibia is also in the process of adapting relevant programmes to help fill the gaps to help implement the national strategy on malaria.
Geingob vowed that Namibia was keen to increase national resources to meet the gaps that were currently being experienced in the battle to reduce and eliminate malaria.
Delegates heard that a major challenge was the spread of the illness in districts that border malaria-endemic neighbouring countries.
Geingob said the Global Fund support would enable Namibia to address this issue.
Research forms part of Namibia's efforts to end malaria transmission.
The president told summit attendees that the University of Namibia, supported by the University of California in San Francisco, were conducting research to gather local evidence that would further guide Namibia's programme strategies.
JANA-MARI SMITH
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