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Paidamoyo Chipunza, Harare Bureau
People living in malaria-endemic areas should ensure that their homes are sprayed against mosquitoes.

They should also make use of treated mosquito nets to protect themselves from malaria.

National malaria coordinator Dr Joseph Mberikunashe said while most mosquito parasites were being washed away by the rains, concerns were on the ponds of water, which provide conducive environment for mosquito breeding.

“We are concerned that once the rain stops, these ponds will provide an environment that is conducive for mosquito breeding, which could lead to increased cases of malaria,” said Dr Mberikunashe.

Dr Mberikunashe said as at December 2016, the burden of malaria nationwide was on the decline, with statistics standing at 17 cases per 1 000 people.

He said the national malaria programme ran a risk of eroding those gains should communities fail to take necessary preventive measures in view of the incessant rains.

“Our statistics show that the burden of malaria continues to decline and we need to continue strengthening our response efforts to curb against outbreaks,” said Dr Mberikunashe.

“As Government, we are on high alert, especially in our malaria endemic areas such as Manicaland, Mashonaland East and Mashonaland West.”

The malaria peak season is usually between April and May when it stops raining.

According to the Southern African Development Community regional early warning bulletin for 2016/17 rainy season, surface water stagnation and flooding increases the risk of not only malaria, but water borne diseases.

“Flooding due to too much stagnant water increases the chances of water borne diseases such as cholera and other diarrhoeal illnesses, the regional body said. There is also the increase of rodent borne diseases such as plague, vector borne diseases such as malaria.”

Zimbabwe is working on containing a typhoid outbreak which started around the festive season and has so far claimed two lives in Harare’s Mbare suburb.