Statics from the Ministry of Public Health indicates that malaria still kills more than 2000 Cameroonians yearly. In every four hours, a child’s life is lost to the disease, say the statistics.

“In 2013, the disease is reported to have killed more than 3,000 persons of which 41 percent were children of less than five years. Again some 4.8 million cases of malaria were recently discovered of which children less than five years and pregnant women were the most infected,” partly states a press release from the Public Health Ministry.

It is against this backdrop that the Ministry of Public Health, MINSANTE, the NGO Malaria NO MORE, ExxonMobil Foundation, and COTCO organised a caravan to sensitize the population of some Yaounde neighbourhoods on the diagnoses, prevention and treatment of malaria, ahead of World Malaria Day, April 25, to be celebrated under the “Theme Invest in the Future, Defeat Malaria”. The event, which took place on April 19, targeted the persons, who for one reason or the other, have no time to listen to the media. The sensitization had as major stops; Rond-Point Express, Etoudi stadium and the train station of Mimboman.

According to the Director of Malaria NO MORE, Olivia Ngou, their focus is to provide clear information to the local population by illustrating how to prevent, diagnose and treat malaria. “The message we are passing out today is for the population to ensure that they sleep under mosquito nets every night. This is because Government distributed 8 million mosquito nets to the public in 2012 and most of these nets are kept in the house without use. So we are calling on the population to make use of those nets,” Ngou said.

She further explained that in order to help the public, malaria examinations have been reduced to FCFA 200 and a training programme has been put in place in laboratories nationwide called the Rapid Diagnostic Test. “This is a new technology that permits the patient to be diagnosed rapidly,’’ she said. In 2011, MINSANTE in collaboration with its partners launched the national campaign to kick out malaria dubbed K.O PALU, which aims to reduce at least 75 percent of deaths from malaria by 2018.

“With the launch of K.O PALU, households with mosquito nets have increased from 33 percent to 66 percent. Again in prevention, usage of impregnated long duration action mosquito nets have increased from 19.2 percent in 2011 to 46.3 percent in 2013 and treatment measures have led to the reduction of morbidity from 41 percent to 27 percent in 2012,” reads the press release.