Ethiopian health professionals to conduct malaria indicator study

 Mekonnen Teshome 

The Ethiopian Health and Nutrition Research Institute (EHNRI) has launched  a national indicator study to assess anti-malaria activities and medical service coverage over the past four years and future directions.

More than 300 Ethiopian professionals are to participate in the study which includes anti-malaria activities, medical services and awareness of the public, among others.

Launching the study activities on October 1, 2011 in Addis Ababa health State Minister Dr. Keseteberhan Admasu said that the public and executives at various levels should provide all the necessary information for the study.

He said the study, which would cover 75 percent of the country, would help design new prevention strategy.

EHNRI Acting Director General Dr. Ameha Kebede on his part said the study would assess the anti- malaria activities and medical services at federal and regional levels carried out over the past four years.

The study is aimed at assessing the effectiveness of canopies, anti-malaria chemicals and the relation of fever and anemia with malaria.

The second round study, which would be conducted for two months, covers 1441 centres and sub centres and more than 11,000 households.

In Ethiopia, malaria is caused by Plasmodium falciparum and Plasmodium vivax, and anti-malarial drug resistance is the most pressing problem confronting control of the disease.

Approximately 75 percent of the country is exposed to malaria which results in as many as 70,000 deaths per year.

Malaria also has economic costs: it burdens the health system and it robs the economy of a healthy, productive labor force needed for growth.

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Posted by AfricaSTI on October 2, 2011. Filed under Health. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry