MUSCAT, April 28 - A total of 916 cases of malaria were reported in the Sultanate in 2018. The most number of cases (198) were reported from North Al Batinah Governorate in 2018. According to World Health Organization (WHO), malaria remains one of the world’s leading killers, claiming the life of one child every two minutes. Most of these deaths are in Africa. In Oman, there were 807 confirmed cases in 2016, followed by 822 in 2015, 1,193 in 2010, 898 in 2009, 965 in 2008, 705 in 2007 and 443 in 2006. Even in 2016, most cases (198) were reported from North Batinah Governorate.
According to Ministry of Health’s annual report, “In the past, malaria was one of the major public health problems in Oman, which led to the start of the Malaria Eradication Programme (NMEP) in North and South Al Sharqiyah governorates in 1991, to stop local transmission and eliminate the reservoir of infected cases.” The report said data analysis showed that the main sources of importation of malaria to Oman was East Africa and the Indian subcontinent. The appropriate strategies implemented included distribution of the prophylactic drugs for the travellers and screening of arriving passengers from Africa, at the airport was started. Also, private health institutes were involved in early case detection strategy to cover the cases coming from the Indian subcontinent.
In 2017, there were an estimated 435,000 deaths from malaria globally, compared with 451,000 estimated deaths in 2016, and 607,000 in 2010.
According to WHO, children aged under five years are the most vulnerable group affected by malaria. In 2017, they accounted for 61 per cent (266,000) of all malaria deaths worldwide. The WHO (African Region) accounted for 93 per cent of all malaria deaths in 2017. Although the WHO (African Region) was home to the highest number of malaria deaths in 2017, it also accounted for 88 per cent of the 172,000 fewer global malaria deaths reported in 2017 compared with 2010.
Nearly 80 per cent of global malaria deaths in 2017 were concentrated in 17 countries in the WHO (African Region) and India; seven of these countries accounted for 53 per cent of all global malaria deaths: Nigeria (19 per cent), Democratic Republic of the Congo (11 per cent), Burkina Faso (6 per cent), United Republic of Tanzania (5 per cent), Sierra Leone (4 per cent), Niger (4 per cent) and India (4 per cent).
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