Ministry stresses early detection of malaria cases

Dubai: The Ministry of Health is constantly upgrading skills of medical experts in terms of diagnosing and reviewing malaria cases, a senior offical said.

Dr Mahmoud Fikri, executive director for health policies, pointed out that the World Health Organisation had recognised the UAE as one of the countries that had effectively tackled the disease through continuous epidemiological investigation.

In a speech on the occasion of World Malaria Day, Dr Fikri underlined the ministry's emphasis on early detection of malaria cases and its efforts to train medical staff in this respect.

Dr Fikri explained how epidemiological surveillance, control of mosquito breeding, monitoring weather and environmental conditions also helped keep the disease in check. He also reviewed the history of malaria in the UAE explaining that it was endemic in the sixties and there was a modest attempt to control it until the establishment of a central administration to combat malaria in 1977.

Since that year, the Ministry of Health cooperated with various public authorities in the country to diagnose, treat and control the disease.

Should more resources be allocated to malaria containment programmes? What else can be done to step up the fight against the disease?