Botswana: Malaria Spray Begins

Bobirwa District Health Management Team (DHMT) will on Tuesday embark on spraying houses to prevent malaria infection in Bobonong and Mmadinare areas.

Speaking in an interview, DHMT principal health promotion officer, Mr Mompati Marole said they intend to completely eliminate malaria in the prone areas.

Mr Marole said they are not going to cover all villages, but they will be concentrated on malaria prone areas such as Gobojango, Semolale, Mathathane, Lepokole and Lentswelemoriti.

He said this year they want to fight Emophile parasite, a pathogen that causes malaria.

"If we could manage to exterminate the parasite, the areas will be free from malaria infection," he said.

Mr Marole said they have two teams, which will be conducting the indoor residual spray.

One team will be conducting the spray in Mathathane, Gobojango and Lentswelemoriti villages while another team will be at Robelela, Mmadinare and surrounding areas. Mr Marole encouraged residents of Bobonong and Mmadinare to get ready for the indoor spray.

He added that they should also clean their surroundings, wear long-sleeved clothes and use mosquito nets to avoid mosquito bites. Mr Marole appealed for cooperation between home owners and those who will be spraying. "In the previous malaria campaign we had issues of people failing to cooperate," he said.

The indoor residual spray will end in November.