A former minister of health and social services has expressed concern over the country’s rising malaria cases amid declining control efforts.
Richard Kamwi, who is also a malaria elimination ambassador, has raised the alarm about a potential surge in the disease in Namibia, citing a decline in preventive measures and a lack of funding.
The Ministry of Health and Social Services in a recent statement said a total of 2 210 malaria cases were reported in Namibia by 15 December last year.
Last week, the Namibia Press Agency (Nampa) reported that the Oshikoto region recorded five malaria deaths at Onandjokwe Hospital over the festive season.
Kamwi, who served as minister from 2005 to 2015, yesterday expressed concern over these statistics, as well as the current state of malaria control efforts, claiming they fall short of World Health Organisation (WHO) standards.
During his tenure, Kamwi oversaw a significant reduction in malaria cases.

He attributed this success to funding from both the Namibian government and international partners, including the Global Fund, University of California, Global Health Group of the University of San Francisco, Gates Foundation and the Clinton Foundation, all of which supported the Malaria Elimination Eight (E-8) initiative.
E-8 is a regional initiative to eliminate malaria in southern Africa by 2030. Its member states are Angola, Botswana, Eswatini, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
Kamwi criticised the current health ministry for not maintaining the momentum achieved during his time.
He specifically pointed to a decrease in indoor residual spraying, which he said is a key preventive measure recommended by the WHO.
“They are no longer up to what the WHO would require of them in terms of indoor residual spraying . . . We are in for a high jump. My prediction is that there will be more deaths in Namibia due to malaria,” he warned.
Kamwi said resources were readily available for effective malaria control during his time as minister.
This included widespread indoor residual spraying.
He contrasted this with the present situation, saying coverage is now “far below” the required 90% threshold recommended by the WHO.
“If you have 50% coverage, that is insufficient,” he said.
Kamwi also raised concerns about the impact of drought on malaria transmission.
He suggested that reduced immunity among the population creates a conducive environment for a malaria outbreak.
“They will be biting left and right. They have places, roofs and walls to rest on, because there are no chemicals.
If there were chemicals, they would be fewer.”
Kamwi urged the public to seek immediate medical attention if they experience any malaria symptoms to ensure prompt diagnosis and treatment.

THE FIGURES
Current minister of health and social services Kalumbi Shangula yesterday referred The Namibian to a media statement on the country’s malaria outbreak issued by his ministry on 20 December last year.
“There have been 265 admissions/severe cases, and nine deaths from 4 November to 15 December 2024. At least 16 malaria-endemic districts have surpassed the epidemic threshold and are experiencing outbreaks,” the statement says.
The affected districts include Eenhana, Okongo, Outapi, Engela, Nkurenkuru, Oshikuku, Omuthiya, Oshakati, Onandjokwe, Tsumeb, Rundu, Okahao, Tsandi, Ncamagoro, Nyangana and Andara.
“The majority of the cases were reported in the Eenhana district, with 661 cases, accounting for 30%, followed by Okongo, with 336 cases, accounting for 15% of the total cases,” the statement reads.
The ministry says malaria cases were thus expected to increase during the rainfall season.
Malaria is a parasitic infection transmitted through the bite of an infected Anopheles mosquito.
If treatment is delayed, it may lead to severe disease and even death.
In addition, 196 malaria cases were recorded in December alone, and an increase in malaria cases was noted in November.
The most affected people were men at 57%, while 43% of the cases comprised women.
Oshikoto health director Joshua Nghipangelwa says the region recorded 720 cases from January to December last year, with eight deaths, while 277 malaria cases and three deaths were recorded in 2023.
He says the indoor residual spraying programme was only partially carried out in the region due to insufficient time, “highly locked” structures, and the late delivery of some resources.
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