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Deadly Malaria Threatens
15 Million
Ethiopians
AllAfrica.Com
- Fifteen million Ethiopians are facing a deadly malaria
epidemic, according to a warning issued by the UN on Wednesday. This new
development comes in the wake of an unprecedented and complex
humanitarian crisis hitting the impoverished country, leaving 13 million
people in need of food aid.
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- "The risk of death spread by malaria mosquitoes looms
in millions of homes in Ethiopia," the UN Country Team announced in its
emergency warning. It said "thousands of deaths" could occur, because
those under threat were already weakened by months of drought and
hunger.
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- Poor rains last year country-wide resulted in the loss
of nearly one-fifth of the harvest. This year, however, Ethiopia
received satisfactory rains from June until September, which, analysts
predict, will result in a good harvest.
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- But humanitarian organisations have noted that the
rains have left pools of stagnant water, which have provided a fertile
breeding ground for mosquitoes. "Women and children are particularly
susceptible to malaria this year because of the drought," said Bjorn
Ljungqvist, head of the UN Children�s Fund in Ethiopia. "We estimate
that potentially 15 million are threatened by this deadly disease. That
is why we are urgently appealing to the international community to avert
a major malaria epidemic," he said in the capital, Addis Ababa.
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- Malaria is one of the biggest killers in Ethiopia,
usually claiming 100,000 lives each year out of a population of 70
million. All forms of malaria are life-threatening, the most deadly
being cerebral malaria, caused by the parasite plasmodium falciparum and
able to kill an individual within three to four days if left untreated,
according to Dr Demene Aliu of the disease surveillance section World
Health Organisation.
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- In its emergency warning, the UN noted that the
country did not have enough drugs to treat the large number of people
likely to be infected as the epidemic unfolded. "In a normal
transmission year, up to 5 million cases are reported annually
throughout Ethiopia. However, this year there has been a long dry season
followed by higher than normal rainfall patterns. Therefore, conditions
are favourable for prolific mosquito breeding. The population is also
more susceptible due to prevailing drought conditions in the country,"
it said.
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- "This, combined with a relatively low transmission
rate over the past four years, has created the right mix for a major
epidemic this year. This increase could lead to thousands of deaths if
appropriate measures are not taken to reduce malaria transmission and
treat malaria cases," it added.
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- The Ethiopian health ministry was unavailable for
comment.
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- http://allafrica.com/stories/200310240971.html
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