Government committed to reducing Malaria incidence at least 50 percent by 2010: minister

World Malaria Day is being commemorated and Pakistan is committed to reduce Malaria incidence at least 50 percent by 2010, said Khushnood Akhtar Lashari, Federal Secretary Health while addressing a press briefing here on the occasion of Second World Malaria Day.
The federal secretary told the media that Malaria is second top priority disease and shares 16 percent of country's disease burden and actual case load may be as high as 1.6 million cases annually. Pakistan, being the signatory of the Roll Back Malaria (RBM), puts malaria control at high priority.
Total of Rs 3.5 billions are allocated to control malaria in the country and the federal government provided 658 million, provincial governments contributing 1.3 billion and 1.6 billion have been acquired from GFATM. He told that during coming five years, the Directorate of Malaria Control will establish 900 new microscopy centers and strengthen 615 diagnostic centres in public sector and 150 microscopy centres in private sector to provide malaria diagnostic facilities.
'To control malaria, indoor Residual spraying in 9 million households will be done to cover 80 percent of target union councils, free of cost 1.3 million Long Lasting Insecticide treated Nets are being distributed among pregnant women and children under five years, free of cost diagnostic and treatment services are also being provided countrywide.
To strengthen the struggle against malaria, National Institute of Malaria for Research and Training (NIMRT) will be established in Lahore for malaria related research and training. Federal Secretary Health, Khushnood Akhtar Lashari, lauded the co-operation of development partners-WHO, DFID, USAID, international organisations-Merlin International Mercy Corps and national NGOs and corporate sector to minimise the malaria burden in Pakistan. He said that Pakistan will strengthen partnerships to control the deadly disease of malaria.-PR