The Punjab government has approved an amount of Rs411 million for the control of deadly and infectious disease Malaria and Avian influenza. The approval was given by the government's development forum Provincial Development Working Party in its 60th meeting of current fiscal year presided over by Chairman P&D Muhammad Jahanzeb Khan.
The development allocated Rs322 million for Roll Back - Malaria Control Program and Rs90 million for National Program for Prevention & Control of Avian Influenza in Punjab.
It may be added that the World Health Organizations categorizes Pakistan as one of the six countries in Eastern Mediterranean Countries with high malaria transmission and 90 percent of its population remains at risk of malaria. Pakistan is part of the international Roll Back Malaria programme; global technical malaria plan of action which requires high and moderate endemic countries to reduce their malaria burden by 70 percent.
Malaria in Pakistan is typically unstable and major transmission period is post monsoon ie from August to November.
Major vector species are Anopheles culicifacies and A. stephensi, both still susceptible to the insecticides currently being used. The widely distributed causative organisms are Plasmodium falciparum and Plasmodium vivax. Vivax malaria still dominates the transmission though significant rise in the more lethal form falciparum.