“Malaria knows no borders. Zimbabwe is doing well in eliminating malaria in the central parts of the country but it is the borders that are delaying a malaria free Zimbabwe,” said National Malaria Case Management Focal Person, Staneford Mashaire.
He added that co-hosting the United Nations World Tourism Organisation Summit in August this year inspired the two countries to launch the Zam-Zim Cross-Border Malaria Initiative at the same venue.
“We are going to commemorate Malaria Day in Victoria Falls on April 24 where we will conduct a joint press conference. On Malaria Day we will cross over to Livingstone, Zambia to officially launch the Zam-Zim Cross-border Malaria Initiative,” he said. Mashaire added that the launch was part of efforts to implement recommendations made during an indaba held in Harare last year.
“We started the Trans Zambezi Malaria Initiative in 2008 with five countries but progress has been slow due to lack of funding.”
The TZMI is a convergence of five countries: Angola, Botswana, Namibia, Zambia and Zimbabwe on the narrow Caprivi Strip with a total of 16 districts and a combined population of one and half million people at risk of malaria. Its vision is to eliminate malaria in the Trans Zambezi communities with social and economic prosperity by 2020.
Mashaire said Deputy Health Ministers of both countries would launch the initiative on behalf of their ministers who would be attending an African Union Health Ministers Conference.
“We invited high level officials from the UNWTO, World Health Organisation, Global Fund, ministers of tourism, environment, information, home affairs, foreign affairs, non-governmental organisations and other malaria stakeholders,” he said.
Mashaire said similar initiatives between Mozambique, Zimbabwe and South Africa, code named “MOZIZA Cross-Border Malaria Initiative”, were at an advanced stage.
Post published in: News