Malaria deaths rising in Zim

By Farayi Machamire

Deaths from malaria in Zimbabwe last year outstripped 2016 figures amid indications that the number of people succumbing to the old age disease is still high.

Zimbabwe recorded 518 deaths from malaria in 2017, compared with 231 for the whole of 2016 and 462 the previous year, the ministry of Health and Child Care said.

“The cumulative figures for malaria were 391 634 cases and 518 deaths,” the ministry said.

Malaria, a life-threatening disease transmitted to people via mosquitoes, kills more than half million people a year globally, mainly infants in the poorest parts of sub-Saharan Africa.

Uncollected garbage due to local government budget cuts and a record amount of rainfall contributed to high cases of malaria. DailyNews