By DOH JAMES SONKEY
Scientists who are members of the Pan African Mosquito Control Association (PAMCA) have decried that inadequate public finances in the health sector in most African countries mar their research efforts on how to combat vector-borne diseases in the continent. They were speaking last September 24, 2019 at the Yaounde Hilton Hotel at a press conference organised within the sidelines of the three days 6th annual conference and exhibition of the Pan African Mosquito Control Association on vector-borne diseases prominent in Africa, including malaria and others.
Dr Tougordi, an official of the World Health Organization, WHO regretted that in Cameroon households still support 60% funding in the fight against ill health far above the 30% limit set by WHO. He explained that “The government ought to provide more funds in the health sector so that households should not wear out financially before enjoying good health.”
Dr Tougordi disclosed that “these diseases account for 17% of infectious diseases and cause more than one million deaths each year, worldwide. Some of these diseases such as malaria, of which 90% of cases occur in sub Saharan Africa affect more than 200,000 million people and cause 420,000 deaths annually worldwide. “Arboviruses – dengue, zika, chikungunya, etc- are in the form of epidemics, threatening more than 2.5 billion people in more than 100 countries around the world. Sub Saharan Africa experiences many outbreaks of these diseases each year with tens of thousands of cases recorded. Much more, Africa alone bears 40% of the burden of disease due to diseases such as schistosomiasis, filariasis, and human African trypanosomiasis.”
Holding on the theme “Strengthening surveillance systems for vector-borne diseases elimination in Africa”, the event brought together some 350 scientists, researchers, governmental and nongovernmental actors, civil society organizations and private sector institutions in Africa and across the globe to brainstorm and showcase the latest research on vector control, discuss innovation and establish networks for collaboration between researchers and strengthen advocacy for the promotion of Africa innovation and the mobilization of resources for African-led initiatives for the fight against these diseases.
Calling on African governments to invest more in health and putting aside operational research funds for the fight against vector borne diseases, they also proposed that the private sector especially private telephone companies set aside a small amount of their turnover for this fight.
Talking on women’s contribution in the fight against vector borne diseases, Dr Damaris explained that “women are the main backbone in this fight because when men return home with vector control materials, they just dump them and generally, women are the ones who take and put them into use, that is, placing the mosquito nets, detect when the child is hot and give medicine at the right time etc.”
Stressing on the need to implicate the local community in the fight against these diseases, the Executive Director of PAMCA said they are looking for how to optimise resources in the fight against these diseases as their association will be celebrating its 10th anniversary this year.
Established in 2009 at the 5th Multilateral Initiative on Malaria (MIM) at the Pan African Malaria Conference in Nairobi and incorporated in Kenya in 2011 as a Non-Governmental Organization under the Non-Governmental Organizations Co-ordination Act (Cap 19) of 1990 of Kenyan laws, PAMCA provides a platform for capacity building, knowledge sharing and collaboration for concerted vector control initiatives in the African continent. PAMCA’s overarching goal is to bring together African scientists and other partner institutions, to work together and adopt common approaches to tackling the burden of mosquito-borne diseases across the continent.