Congo: Call for national partnership to curb malaria

Brazzaville - Congolese authorities recently called for a national partnership to combat malaria under the "Roll Back Malaria" (RBM) project.
Speaking during a meeting held at the university teaching hospital in Brazzaville, officials from the Congolese health ministry said that the media had an important role to play in the proposed partnership.

They also appealed to NGOs, religious groups, traditional healers, businessmen and development partners to join the RBM project launched by the World Health Organisation in July 1998.

RBM, which focuses on technical aspects of malaria control, is a social movement guided by team spirit.

Its partners include the government, the civil society, development institutions and banks, companies, research groups and other interested parties.

The project's objective is to reduce by half the number of malaria patients in the world by the year 2010, by helping communities to take effective and sustainable measures against the disease.

The government is required to provide sufficient resources to social and health sectors, develop clear policies for malaria control, reduce tax and duties on mosquito nets and insecticides, and simplify access to essential drugs. On their part, health services are supposed to provide adequate training to health workers, popularise the use of impregnated mosquito nets and improve the collection and analysis of health information. Under the RBM, the private sector is required to contribute funds to finance social and health development activities, including the production, distribution and marketing of medicine and mosquito nets. On the other hand, NGOs and UN agencies are supposed to participate in all the phases of malaria control activities, including promoting the use of mosquito nets and other types of impregnated material.

Malaria is the major cause of consultation in Congo's health centres. It constitutes the main cause of mortality along with respiratory diseases, diarrhoea and measles.

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