Malaria in North claims 32

THIRTY-TWO people have died of malaria so far in the four northern regions of Oshana, Omusati, Ohangwena and Oshikoto while 71 017 people are in critical need of flood relief, says the Co-ordinator of the Flood Emergency Management Co-ordination Office at Oshakati, Erastus Negonga, during a media briefing at Oshakati on Wednesday afternoon.

According to Negonga, 18 596 malaria cases have been reported to his office from all four regions, of which 3 192 have been laboratory confirmed with 32 deaths. Ohangwena Region reported the most malaria cases – 9 057 compared to 4 850 from Oshana, 2 720 from Omusati and 1 969 from Oshikoto.Omusati has the highest number of malaria deaths of 17, followed by Ohangwena with 10, Oshana with three and Oshikoto with two. Negonga said no cholera cases have been reported to his office since last Wednesday, when one case of cholera was reported from Ohangwena Region. He said more than 100 people have drowned so far while two people remain missing.Negonga said the big problem they now face is the 71 017 people who are in critical need of food aid and he called upon the Government, businesspeople and NGOs to assist before the situation gets worse.According to Negonga, 2 126 farmers have lost their mahangu grain baskets while the fields of 13 725 farmers were destroyed.Negonga said 606 cattle died because of the flood followed by 188 donkeys, 2 228 goats and 42 sheep, while 930 small businesses have closed because of the floods.’The water is subsiding, and many people who were relocated are now going back to their original places,’ said Negonga. He said by Wednesday this week 524 333 people were still affected by the flood compared to 709 417 on Wednesday last week.The number of impassable roads has decreased from 29 last week to 24 this week. Only 135 schools remain closed compared with 194 last week. All hospitals in the four regions are now accessible while 12 clinics are still closed compared to 19 last week. Negonga is still appealing for food, tents, portable toilets, mosquito nets and repellents for 2 500 people for three months, jerry cans, kitchen sets, general hygiene products, gel stoves, water purification tablets, two-way radios, sand bags, protective clothes, blankets, mattresses and camping beds and water tanks.Some businesspeople and institutions donated food and anti-malaria items to FEMCO on Wednesday. The Social Security Commission donated stoves, mosquito nets, blankets, water purification tablets and gel fuel worth N$55 000, Channel 7 Radio donated mosquito repellents worth N$25 000 and Dharani Traders donated 400 bags of maize meal, 40 boxes of cooking oil, 20 boxes of tinned fish and other food items.