Malaria threatens Hajjah governorate

from the Yemen Times

recent proliferation of malaria is threatening nine districts in Hajjah governorate with a combined population of nearly 590,000. Most of those infected are children, pregnant women and the elderly. Even worse, these nine districts are suffering a medical supply shortage.

Bani Qais and Aslam are two of the most malaria-affected districts, followed by Khubran, Aflah Al-Sham, Qufl Shamar, Abs, Mustaba, Kashur and Kuaidina. According to the 2004 general census, these districts are densely populated.

“Malaria is spreading in Hajjah. We’re usually able to discover infected cases year-round. The disease is responsible for numerous deaths, particularly in areas with harsh topography where citizens have no easy access to hospitals or health care facilities," noted Taha Yahya Bari with Khairan Muharraq district’s Health Center.

Ibrahim Yousef, 23, of Aslam district reports that his daughter Sharifa is infected with Plasmodium falciparum, a protozoan parasite and one type of plasmodium that causes human malaria. His daughter has been receiving treatment at the private Ibn Rushd Hospital for two months now at an estimated cost of YR 30,000.

Working at Khairan Muharraq district’s private Physicians Hospital, Dr. Ali Qadri maintains that the Chloroquine medicine usually prescribed for malaria sufferers is ineffective at treating infected cases in his area, particularly feverish or comatose children who are admitted to hospitals.

Asked about any risks or side effects of this medication, Qadri replied that it contributes to pancreatic and liver diseases, while Egyptian pharmacist Azzah Ahmed notes that malaria medicine is available in most of Hajjah governorate.



Lack of health care

Local councilor Sheikh Mohsen Hizam, chairman of the Hajjah branch of the General People’s Congress, states that there are six health facilities, one health center and a physician for his district’s 50,000 residents, further pointing out that mosquito nets that have been distributed don’t meet area inhabitants’ growing demands.

Mabkhout Mohsen Zain, 48, says his malaria treatment has cost him YR 100,000. However, feeling that his condition worsened, he went to the Saudi Hospital in Hajjah city. Zain complains that he hasn’t received any free medicine from the government.

“Because we have no easy access to medical facilities and the government doesn’t care about providing our areas with the prerequisite health services and medical equipment, the only thing I could do is take my ailing baby daughter to a private hospital for treatment, which cost me a lot,” regretted Hassan Badri, father of a nearly 2-month-old daughter suffering from malaria since her birth.

Sheikh Khalid Sha’abein, manager of Khairan district’s Health Office, says government contributions and efforts in this regard are very limited, adding that the related ministry only provides patients Malaquin, a cheaper generic form of Chloroquine, in addition to mosquito nets that don’t meet the growing demands by his area’s citizens.

Abs Health Office Manager Ibrahim Aram reports that malaria has hardly spread in Abs city, but it may be proliferating in the numerous villages surrounding the city. For this reason, he urges relevant authorities to implement a malaria-fighting program in Abs because, according to him, Abs lies in the center of those areas with record malaria cases.

Shawqi Shuheit, manager of Aslam district’s Endowment Office, says there’s insufficient coordination between his office and competent health authorities to increase public awareness about the infection and the necessary measures that may help prevent the disease.

Causes of malaria proliferation in these areas

According to Dr. Mohammed Issa, a former officer with the Program to Fight Malaria, Hajjah’s semitropical climate encourages the malaria parasite’s development in valleys and swamps.

Additionally, high illiteracy rates, lack of health awareness and malnutrition resulting from poverty, as well as the spread of mosquitoes are the main reasons for malaria proliferation in many districts of the governorate.

Malaria’s impact on school students

“Five years ago, we did malaria checkups while several malaria researchers recently came to our area and did checkups for students enrolled at Al-Hikmah, Al-Dawlahi and Awis Al-Qarni schools,” said Hassan Al-Qadhi, principal of Al-Hikmah School in Aslam district.

“These researchers found that nearly all of the pupils are infected with malaria, notably children in the lower grades, who suffer diarrhea and vomiting,” he continued, adding, “Many pupils in the first three grades vomit in class, which has a negative impact on their learning.”

“Malaria’s effects sometimes reach the brain, and as a result, students begin to daydream, lose attention and progress at a very slow acquisition rate,” explains Abdu Zain, principal of Omar Bin Al-Khattab School in Raqaba district, while Ali Murshid, a teacher at the school, maintains that malaria is responsible for school dropouts, particularly among girls.

Sheikh Yahya Hafaj, a local councilor in Hajjah’s Bani Qais district, says his area’s 55,000 residents have only seven health facilities and one physician.

Aslam district tribal sheikh Jalal Al-Aslami notes that malaria is spreading in every house and every family year-round.

He appeals to the relevant government officials in his district to provide locals good health services and top-quality education.

Sheikh Khalid Falah, a prominent tribal leader in the governorate, strongly denounces the dire situation in Hajjah and the false promises made by local councilors, who, according to him, are doing nothing to save area citizens’ lives.

According to media reports, international organizations and Gulf states have given the Yemeni government financial aid to upgrade medical services and health care in the vulnerable country.

Bahrain News Agency estimates the Gulf states’ assistance for fighting malaria in Yemen at $47 million. Yemen’s Public Health and Population Minister Dr. Abdulkarim Rasa’ reconfirmed this same amount in a statement to Saba News Agency prior to his scheduled visit to Saudi Arabia to attend the Feb. 5 meeting of Gulf health ministers.

Additionally, Yemen’s satellite television channel announced on its 9 p.m. news broadcast on Feb. 24 that the Yemeni government received up to $62 million from an international fund to be spent to fight malaria, AIDS, bilharzias and tuberculosis.