MALARIA cases are increasing in Guyana for the first time in five years, Health Minister Dr. Leslie Ramsammy reported yesterday as he warned that gains made here against the killer disease are in danger of being reversed.

His warning came after a visit with a Health Ministry team to malaria `hotspots’ in the hinterland which found that miners particularly are at risk.

Ramsammy reported that for the first time since 2005, the number of malaria cases for the January period has increased in Guyana by about 15%.

“In spite of increased efforts by the health sector, the number of malaria cases has increased every epidemiological week since last October”, he said.  

Malaria was several years ago rampant in the hinterland, especially in gold and diamond districts, but it was brought under control after a sustained prevention programme, using specially treated mosquito nets and drugs.

The minister said his team found that increased mining activities have led to mining operations in many hard-to-reach places for health workers and this makes it incumbent for mining operators to work closely with the Health Ministry and with regional health authorities “to ensure we do not lose the battle against malaria.”

He said he was disappointed that most people in mining camps are not using thousands of impregnated mosquito nets the ministry has distributed.

“The most troublesome issue is the finding that the use of mono-therapy with medication not approved by the Ministry of Health is still evident. In addition, the team found that many persons diagnosed with malaria and who have been given approved medicines are not completing their treatment”, he said.

Ramsammy said the medicine the ministry is distributing is powerful and causes people to feel better quickly.

“Persons on the medication appear to stop taking the medicine, opting instead to keep the rest for another time”, he said, warning that failure to use the complete course is causing malaria to return to that person.

“Thus, many of the cases being recorded as new cases are in fact the same cases because there was a failure to cure”, he said.

“We urge persons to complete their course of treatment because it is the only way to cure the body of malaria. Incomplete treatment will lead to a return of malaria”, he said.

Ramsammy urged miners and others to “work with us to ensure we continue to make inroads against malaria.”

“As it is right now, we are on the verge of reversing all the gains we have made over the last five years”, he said.

Guyana recorded 84,017 malaria cases in 1994, and the number dropped to 39,978 in 2005.

There were 22,000 fewer recorded cases in 2006 than in 2005.

The number of malaria deaths has not been significant for a few years, Ramsammy said in 2007.

Malaria is more of a challenge in the interior regions of the country than on the coast where it was once widespread.

The disease, which is spread by mosquitoes, kills one million African children every year.

Pregnant women are four times more likely to catch malaria, which leads to severe maternal anemia, premature births and low birth weight.
But it’s easy to prevent malaria with insecticide-treated bed nets, which the Health Ministry here has been distributing free of cost.