The United Nations Millennium Campaign was implemented in 2000, with the hopes of supporting and inspiring people from all over the world to take action in support of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) with regards to poverty, education, women’s empowerment, maternal health and the environment. (1) The sixth goal is to combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases and this goal along with the other seven goals have to be achieved by the year 2015. (1) With the deadline less than a year away, the question is has South Africa made progresses since 2002 and will the goal be reached.
Goal 6C: Combating HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases.
By 2015 South Africa should have halted on malaria and should have already …show more content…
World Health Organization (WHO) recommended interventions. (2) Between 2000 and 2012, there has been a 42 per cent decline in mortality rates due to malaria globally. (1) More than 3 million deaths from malaria were prevented, saving the lives or three million children. (1) South Africa has achieved both the Abuja and MDG targets and now plans to implement a programme eliminate malaria completely. (2) In order for South Africa to reach its goal of elimination malaria, the next six steps are crucial. (2) Firstly they need to continually monitor the confirmed cases and the treatment the cases receive as well as interrupt local transmission. South Africa needs to utilize sensitive diagnostic tests in order to detect low-level parasitaemia. Another important step would be to maintain a high level of malaria awareness in communities and health workers even though the prevalence of malaria is decreasing. It is important to monitor the parasite drug and the vector resistance because these risks increase when the malaria case numbers decrease. South Africa also needs to support the malaria control measures implemented in neighbouring countries more effectively. Lastly, South Africa needs to continue resourcing even though the case numbers are reducing. (2)
Combating malaria in South Africa
In order for South Africa to successfully control malaria, there needs to be vector control, …show more content…
The future success of South Africa’s malaria elimination programme will depend on early detection of malaria cases followed by rapid appropriate treatment and vector control coverage especially in high-transition areas which will ensure that drugs, insecticides and diagnostic tools are of the highest quality. (2) South Africa will be able to reach their ultimate goal of elimination malaria as a