Lazarus Sauti

Lazarus Sauti Malaria is a life-threatening disease caused by parasites that are transmitted to people through the bites of infected mosquitoes. The disease is so deadly to the extent that in 2013, the World Health Organisation estimated that malaria caused 584 000 deaths, mostly in developing nations. “Most deaths occur among children living in Africa where a child dies every minute from malaria,” noted the World Health Organisation (WHO) December 2014 Factsheet, adding that “young children in stable transmission areas who have not yet developed protective immunity against the most severe forms of the disease, travellers from non-endemic areas, as well as non-immune pregnant women are at great risk.” Due to socio-economic challenges haunting countries in the Southern African Development Community (SADC), malaria remains a threat to millions of people living in the region. For instance, the disease is the third cause of illness and mortality in Zimbabwe, according to USAI...

Lazarus Sauti Countries in the Southern African Development Community endure a heavy burden of diseases, underpinned by malaria, HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis, which impacts families, impoverishes the large numbers of citizens and undermines socio-economic transformation on the region. Sadly, public health systems in the region as well as other African countries are struggling to provide effective and adequate health care to nationals. Regional and other African states, therefore, need to scale up their health systems for disease prevention and control as citizens are suffering because national health systems are in deprived shape. The World Health Organisation, a specialised agency of the United Nations that is concerned with international public health, agrees: “ People get sick and die in many cases because the systems for disease prevention and control are not in place or – if they are – they do not function properly. “By any measure of health system function – immunis...