Escalating malaria fatalities recorded in Ethiopia's various regions
The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) has dispatched a specialist relief group to West Oromia, Ethiopia, in response to an active malaria epidemic. The Oromia Physicians Association is also intervening, aiming to improve the diagnostic accuracy and treatment of malaria cases in Western Oromia.
The situation in Western Oromia is grave, as indicated by a high positivity rate and deaths. Over the last three months, 156,000 malaria cases have been registered in Ethiopia, with 92,000 confirmed by tests. However, given the conditions in local medical facilities conducting diagnostics, the actual disease picture may be much graver than the reported numbers.
The OCHA's report, which includes data from 117 districts and 7 major cities in the Oromia region, provides a more accurate picture. It indicates a total of 774,519 malaria cases and 180 deaths in the Oromia region since January 2023. This is a higher number of cases and deaths compared to the previously reported 156,000 and 45, respectively.
The malaria crisis is not confined to Western Oromia. The OCHA's report suggests that the outbreak may be wider in scope than initially thought, affecting more than just Western Oromia. During October alone, out of 222,000 tests conducted, 128,000 (57.65%) were positive for malaria.
Nationwide shortages of antimalarial drugs are causing patients to be sent home untreated or given insufficient doses. This could potentially exacerbate the situation. The Oromia Physicians Association's intervention may not fully address the malaria crisis due to these shortages.
The OCHA's report underscores the severity of the malaria outbreak in the Oromia region. It may necessitate a larger-scale response to address the crisis effectively. The Oromia Physicians Association's intervention, while aimed at addressing the high number of malaria cases and deaths in Western Oromia, may need to be expanded to cover the entire region to curb the spread of the disease.
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