Health ministry calls for mass drug administration to fight malaria

Health minister Dr Jane Ruth Aceng has said mass drug administration of anti-malaria medicine is one sure way of kicking malaria out of Uganda and the region at large.

She said administering anti-malaria drugs in a mass campaign will stem the transmission of the plasmodium parasite.

Aceng sounded the call on Friday while receiving a consignment of 500,000 packs and doses of anti-malaria medicines donated by the People's Republic of China to Uganda.

The medicine was handed over by Chinese Ambassador to Uganda, Zhang Lizhong.

Aceng received the donation accompanied by finance minister Matia Kasaija and other officials. 

Aceng's call was backed by Moses Kamabare, the general manager of the National Medical Stores (NMS), who said mosquitoes will only remain with a bluff bite if there is no plasmodium to transmit, hence reducing the cases of malaria in the country.

With this in mind, the health officials therefore appealed for the government's commitment and support towards such a programme.

In response, Kasaija asked for a detailed plan and procedures on how to implement it. 

The officials said a detailed proposal will be revealed to the public at a later time.

Aceng explained that several leaders within Africa have embraced the idea through their umbrella body, the African Leaders Malaria Alliance. 

"Through the association, several leaders in the region have opened doors for the programme because it is already being implemented elsewhere," she said.

The health minister said Uganda is home to the most aggressive malaria vectors and the most virulent malaria parasite: plasmodium falciparum. 

"The country is also the third-highest contributor of malaria cases and the seventh-highest contributor of malaria deaths globally, registering up to 12 million cases and 5,000 deaths annually," said Aceng.

Intervention

To address the malaria burden, the Ugandan government requested an assortment of anti-malarial drugs from the Chinese government in order to support the response to the malaria epidemic. 

China responded with a donation of 500,000 packs and doses of anti-malaria medicines worth $1.1 million (sh4.2 billion). 

The delivered donation includes 80,000 boxes of Compound Artemether tablets, 20,800 boxes of Artesunate for injection and 391,200 boxes of Compound Dihydroartemisinin Piperaquine.

Ambassador Lizhong said the health sector is one of the most important areas of bilateral co-operation between Uganda and China. 

"Since 1983, China has dispatched 23 batches of medical teams to Uganda with 218 doctors," he said.

"Since 2005, the Chinese medical teams have treated more than 150,000 local patients, performed more than 4,000 operations, rescued more than 600 critically ill patients and treated more than 40,000 people with acupuncture."

Lizhong further said that both Uganda and China have a long history of herbal plantations and herbal medicines. 

He expressed optimism that both countries may explore joint research of herbs, develop and market herb medicines to combat viruses and achieve win-win cooperation.