The target set for keeping malaria under 10,000 cases this year is no longer likely since the numbers are already high as of September this year, according to Health Minister Dr. Leslie Ramsammy. He said the reduction programme has hit a snag.
“We are not going to maintain malaria at the target that we had set for the year… we are going to exceed it, but it is not out of control”, Ramsammy said yesterday. He said the numbers are likely to be around 11,000 cases at December this year which is about ten percent higher than the established target.
Still, he said the focus remains on target for under 8,000 cases in 2012. Some 8,270 cases of malaria were recorded up to the end of September this year which is a slight increase in the number from last year, which stood at around 7,900 cases for the corresponding period.
Ramsammy spoke on what he termed the real problems facing the malaria programme saying that the issue of small scale miners is posing a serious challenge to the reduction programme. However, he said certain villages which had recorded high levels of malaria in 2005 now have zero to low rates, adding that they have succeeded in bringing down malaria in those communities. But new challenges are emerging on other areas, he noted.
There are areas in the country which did not have a problem now, but are not recording measurable and or moderate levels of malaria according to Ramsammy. He mentioned the Omai area saying that it was organized a few years ago with good sanitation health services available, and that the environment was well taken care of but “not anymore”.
Since the large operation has shut down there, he said, hundreds of small miners have appeared on the scene. “… it is now disorganized mining, people who do not pay attention to environmental control and living standards are there now”, he added.
For this year so far there have been almost 800 cases in the Omai area alone, Ramsammy said, and he cited that area as an example of some of the problems facing the sector. He said small scale miners have increased in Guyana, noting that this will increase as the price of gold goes up. “..This is the kind of challenges that we are facing”, he said.
Within the past few weeks he said health officials have met with the Geology and Mines Commission; Forestry Commission; Miners Asso-ciation and are soon to meet the Forest Products Associa-tion. He noted they are trying to bring everyone together so that they can confront the challenges together. Ramsammy said also that he remains optimistic things will improve following the discussions.
