22 February 2008
A new programme has been launched this week in a bid to eradicate malaria in the Gambia.
Operation Eradicate Malaria aims to rid the Gambia of parasites and the larvae of mosquitoes that spread the disease, reports the Daily Observer.
Dr Aja Isatou Njie-Saidy, vice-president and secretary of state for Women's Affairs, is also hoping to extend the programme to neighbouring African countries.
Research by Gambia's department of state for health and social welfare has revealed an 84 per cent reduction in malaria cases today since 2006.
Dr. Nestor Shivute, representative for the World Health Organisation, told Medicc: "Gambia has shown a commitment to the control of malaria, [it] has one of the strongest malaria control programs in the region."
The western African country has spread the use of insecticide-treated bed nets to around 63 percent of the population, one of the best figures in the whole of Africa.
Dr Malick Njie, secretary of state for health and social welfare told the Daily Observer: "This laudable task will turn malaria into a reportable disease in Gambia, and in four years time, malaria will be history in the country."
