Madang declares war against diseases

 By DOROTHY MARK

THE Health Department in Madang has declared war against malaria and Chikungunya last Thursday on World Malaria Day as a step towards preventing the spread of the killer 

diseases.

“Since 2008, the statistic for malaria cases in Madang has dropped from 19% rate to 6.7% rate which is a big drop,” health director Marcus Kachau said.

He attributed this to efforts by authorities and the Rotary Club in distributing bed nets to almost all parts of the province, training of health workers on malaria treatments and proper diagnosis of patients.

Provincial technical malaria officer Wilfred Peter Tangaloidi added that treatment had been shifted from assumption basis to diagnostic basis.

“Before health workers use to treat patients right away, now they conduct tests using the rapid diagnostic test before treating them to find out if a patient is malaria positive and treat him with Mala 1 malaria treatment,” he said. 

Kachau also revealed health centres in Madang would be receiving a microscope each for patients to be properly checked and diagnosed.

He said cough and flu outbreak had also affected the province.

“Flu is not a new disease, it comes with the changes in weather patterns and hit one particular area and causes out breaks as it goes,” he said.

Madang Urban LLG would be engaged to clear out all town drains and patch potholes to stop water storages that allow mosquitoes to breed.

Meanwhile, Governor Jim Kas has committed K6 million as additional funding for malaria presentation and other health projects.