Uganda: 6000 people die of Malaria each year, that is one fully packed taxi crashing each day

According to the latest information, Uganda ranks 8^th in the number of malaria infections in sub-Saharan Africa and has some of the highest reported malaria transmission rates in the world.

Also, Malaria kills an estimated 6000 people every year in Uganda. This number remains just a figure until you try to cut it down.

6000 people a year means at least 500 people a month and that translates to about 16.4 people per day.

Still, the number does not make as much sense, maybe let us translate it to something closer to our daily lives.

Imagine that each day we wake up to the news of a fully packed taxi crashing, leaving all occupants dead.

In the normal (pre-COVID times), without social distancing required, a taxi was licensed to carry at least 14 passengers.  Under circumstances where you are over packed, you could find yourselves seated about 17 in the same taxi.

Now, if we are to lose 17 people per day due to Malaria, or let us stick to 16.4, meaning 16 adults and a baby. This means that u get such a taxi and ram it into a wall, killing all occupants.

It is true the Ministry of Health has helped reduce this number significantly with at least 60 million Mosquito nets distributed just in the last 6 years.

Malaria, however, remains the leading cause of death, just in 2019 1.4m people in Uganda were diagnosed with Malaria!

The weather patterns are changing fast and this year has had so much rain, especially this month. It is again the time to safeguard ourselves from this disease.

Get rid of broken bottles, gutters, and ponds that hold stagnant water in your compounds, these are breeding grounds for Mosquitoes.

Most importantly sleep under a properly treated and maintained mosquito net. It is only a properly used mosquito net that is capable of reducing Malaria transmission by 60%.

The net also reduces death in children by 20% and the mosquito population as much as 90%.

 

The writer is a private contributor to the Nile Post