Monday, Apr 26, 2010

Gulf News

Abu Dhabi Although the UAE has been declared malaria-free, authorities will continue to be on the lookout for visitors with the disease and the presence of malaria-carrying mosquitoes in the country, health officials said yesterday.

They were speaking at a press conference that was part of World Malaria Day.

About 1,000 visitors with malaria were detected in Abu Dhabi in 2009, said Dr Fareeda Al Hosani, section head for communicable diseases at the Health Authority-Abu Dhabi (Haad).

Dr Fareeda said the visitors were all successfully treated of the disease.

She added that there was no special screening of visitors to detect malaria, but hospitals or clinics diagnosing the disease in patients had to report the matter to the Haad.

She said the authorities were keeping a constant vigil at places like farmhouses that could be breeding grounds for mosquitoes which spread the disease.

An official encouraged the public to be on the lookout for malaria symptoms.

Dr Salim Adib, manager of Public Health and Research at the Haad, said any member of the public with a fever, fluctuating temperature and feeling pain all over the body should immediately seek medical attention as these could be symptoms of the disease.

The UAE was declared malaria-free by the World Health Organisation (WHO) in 2007. More than 880,000 people per year are killed by malaria worldwide, with about 85 per cent of them being children under the age of five.

More than 90 per cent of global malaria deaths occur in Africa.

1,000

visitors with malaria in 2009

85%

of malaria victims are children under age of five

90%

of malaria deaths occur in Africa

prevention

steps to fight disease

Using mosquito nets that are hung over beds for children under the age of five is one major step in fighting malaria, an expert has said. Another step is for patients to take the new generation medicines designed to fight the disease.

Herve Verhoosel, external relations manager of the Roll Back Malaria (RBL) Partnership of WHO, said children under the age of five must use mosquito nets to prevent malaria as 85 per cent of malaria fatalities were of children of that age and below.

He told Gulf News on the sidelines of a Haad press conference yesterday that malaria pathogens had developed resistance to drugs, and added that old generation medicines may not be effective, .

Patients should take the latest medicines whose cost is ten times that of old medicines, Verhoosel added.

Verhoosel said no effective vaccine had been developed but expressed hopes that it would come out within three to four years. He added that only at that point could children in affected countries be given vaccines.

Yemen is the only country in the Middle East which may have a higher number of malaria cases than its neighbours, the official said.

He said malaria was prevalent in Africa and Asian countries such as China, Pakistan, India, and the Philippines.

Verhoosel advised workers who developed symptoms of the disease while in their home countries to avoid making the trip to the UAE.

— B.A.K.

Box-2

Numbers

1000 Malaria cases detected in visitors to Abu Dhabi in 2009

880,000 deaths annually due to Malaria worldwide

90 per cent of total deaths in Africa

85 per cent of the total deceased are children

Box- 3

Precautions/ warnings

-Beware of mosquitoes at night. Children under 5 years must use bed nets

(85 per cent of the total deceased are children)

-If you have fever and the temperature goes up and down , and feel body pains , take immediate medical help, that could be the symptoms of Malaria.

-If diagnosed, take new generation medicines which are ten times costlier than old generation medicines. The pathogens have developed drug resistance (against old medicines). (end) )

By Binsal Abdul Kader

Gulf News 2010. All rights reserved.