By
Kizito Makoye
The war against malaria
has suffered a serious setback as a global body formed to fight the disease is
reportedly failing.
Formed in 1998, Roll Back Malaria (RBM), an international group of 90
organisations started off with an ambitious outlook, but a UK leading medical
journal, The Lancet has reported that the organisation does have its flaws.
In its special issue on malaria, The Lancet claimed that there are 500 million
malaria cases reported in the world every year. Yet, malaria control programmes
in individual countries like Tanzania have been poorly advised to effectively
combat the disease. As a result the parasite has continued to wreck havoc,
targeting vulnerable groups like pregnant women and underage children. It is
particularly the failure to include local experts that hampered the
organisation’s efforts.
The Lancet asserts that the World Health Organization (WHO) and the World Bank
have been guided with a ‘blurred’ vision when trying to avert ramifications.
However, it commends the initiatives by WHO to bring malaria to the world
attention, a promise made as part of the Abuja Declaration in 2000 where the
goal is to halve the burden of the disease in 10 years.
In April 2000, African leaders signed the Abuja Declaration, committing their
countries to specific malaria control achievement by 2005. The declaration
stated ‘by 2005 at least 60 per cent of those suffering will have prompt access
to and be able to use correct, affordable and appropriate treatment’ and that
‘at least 60 per cent of those at risk should benefit from mosquito treated
nets’.
Some malaria experts in Tanzania embrace the criticism being raised on the war
against malaria warning that poverty has always been a course of the disease,
and that correct strategies must be adopted to alleviate poverty.
In an exclusive interview with The Express recently Prof. Zul Premji of
Muhimbili University College of Health Sciences (MUCHS) could only agree with
the journal. “I agree with The Lancet that the mobility and mortality rate of
malaria is increasing in Tanzania and sub- Saharan Africa.”
Premji further said malaria drugs are increasingly getting resistant and worsen
the situation. Appropriate drug combinations thought to be more effective are
beyond the reach of many people.
“Primarily poverty is the major reason behind malaria; I believe poverty has not
been reduced,” said Premji.
He went on saying: “Roll Back Malaria Initiative was ill perceived, the
objectives were too ambitious and the implementation plan was not clear. However
the reason for this rise in malaria is technically drug resistance,” he said.
Despite increasing scepticism, Prof. Premji remains optimistic over the
political will and commitment that African leaders have shown in fighting the
disease. He, however, insists that local experts who have broad knowledge of the
environment have not been fully utilized in formulating appropriate policies.
“New treatment for malaria will cost more as we will now be more dependent on
donors,” he stressed.
Population Services International (PSI), a non-governmental organisation (NGO)
is using social marketing to promote Insecticide Treated Nets (ITN) in nine
African countries including Tanzania, to help prevent malaria.
PSI Deputy Director of ITN, Romanus Mtung’e told The Express on Monday that the
RBM initiative is not failing in its mission as claimed by The Lancet but called
for increased vigilance on implementation of malaria initiatives.
“In order for the RBM initiative to do its best it should initiate means of
ensuring that monitoring of the outcome of the initiative is being implemented
by malaria endemic countries,” he stressed.
Mtung’e further said that the awareness of severity of malaria has increased
tremendously among Tanzanians. Most households have been persuaded to use
mosquito treated nets.
The government is committed to controlling the disease with activities developed
and co-ordinated by the National Malaria Control Programme within the Ministry
of Health.
Health Minister Anna Abdallah has admitted that malaria is still posing a threat
to the society, adding that through the malaria control programme, the
government is implementing various responsibilities to tackle the disease
including motivating the use of mosquito treated nets especially for under age
children and pregnant women.
A recent report presented to a Seminar on Malaria by the Integrated Management
of Childhood Illnesses (IMCI) shows that 223,000 Tanzanian children under five
die from the disease each year. The death rate implies that 25 of under-fives
die every hour; the rate also makes Tanzania the ninth country in the world with
the highest mortality rate from malaria.
Between 2 to 3 million people die from the disease every year in the world. The
parasite responsible for the most severe form of malaria has become resistant to
the drug chloroquine in nearly all areas where the disease is prevalent - 90% of
cases are in Africa.
Annually malaria costs African countries between US$ 10 billion and US$ 12
billion in lost domestic product.
Dodoma
witnesses decline in HIV infections
By Tunu Ally, Dodoma
AIDS infection in Dodoma Region has declined by 3 per cent since
last year, it has been learnt.
Dodoma Regional Commissioner (RC), Mussa Nkhangaa came with the good news after
reviewing statistics gathered from the Regional Hospital. The figures show that
new HIV/AIDS infections are declining at between 2 and 3 per cent annually.
The decline has been attributed to efforts made by various stakeholders,
including institutions and the region in general, providing education about the
bad effects of the disease and advising the public to practise safe sex.
“Sincerely, I want to praise your efforts which you have shown in combating the
deadly disease, but you should not start boasting and forget to use safe
methods,” the RC observed.
He cautioned the residents of the region not to be satisfied with the
achievement reached, but urged for more efforts to reduce infection rates.
Food shortage haunts Mbozi
residents
By Kizito Makoye
Despite the fact that Mbeya is the region in the country that often
breaks food production records, one of its districts, Mbozi, is reported to face
severe food shortage.
After a bumper harvest last season, Mbozi residents did not keep a portion of
the crops for their own consumption due to an increasing demand of cereals in
the market.
The revelations were made by Mbozi District Administrative Officer, Igino
Mapunda at a special workshop which joined together several groups of farmers
about to join a small financial institution programme called the Rural Savings
Financial Programme (RSFP)
Mapunda called upon the residents to use all harvested crops economically and
earmark enough food for immediate future use.
It was also claimed that grain had been used for making local brews,
contributing to the shortage.
Speaking at the workshop Assessment and Monitoring Officer of RSFP in South West
Zone, Shadrack Mwakibete challenged farmers in the district to cultivate the
culture of saving their money in financial institutions through cooperative
unions, instead of keeping huge sums of money at home.
Mpingo
trees back on slopes of Mount Kilimanjaro
By Apolinari Tairo, Moshi
Blackwood, a forestation project in Kilimanjaro Region aimed at bringing to life
the once disappeared precious tree on the foothills of Mount Kilimanjaro, has
been given the support by BP Tanzania, through its environmental conservation
policy.
Sebastian Chuwa, coordinator of the African Blackwood Conservation Project
(ABCP) in Kilimanjaro Region, told The Express that the campaigns to plant
blackwood trees were launched in 1990s.
Chuwa said that he has succeeded to plant more than 179,000 blackwood (mpingo)
tees on the foothills of the mountain and different parts of Tanzania as well as
coordinating a successful campaign to plant one million tree seedlings of
different tree species.
In cooperation with ABCP and BP Tanzania, Chuwa has established community
nurseries in three districts in the region: Hai, Moshi Rural and Moshi Urban.
BP Tanzania has taken a leading role in environmental protection, backing
numerous eco projects, in terms of both technical and financial support. Now the
tree is back to its original sites where Chuwa said it can survive and thrive up
to 1,000 metres above sea level. The management of BP Tanzania in Moshi has
shown an example and planted four mpingo trees at the Moshi BP depot premises.
“Conservation of African blackwood, mpingo, is one such a landmark project
backed by BP Tanzania. The company has been supporting ABCP as part of its
commitment to Green Tanzania,” Chuwa said.
New schools
opens door for more students
By Zainab Yusuph, Dodoma
A total of 1,108 students, who passed their Standard Seven Leaving
Examinations in 2004 in Dodoma Rural District, have officially joined secondary
schools during the second selection phase.
The students were denied access to further education because of shortage of
secondary schools in the district. Thanks to efforts made by the districts
administration to increase the number of schools, they could start their
secondary education on May 2.
Dodoma Rural District Council’s Director, Suzan Bidya said that from January
this year, her Council took sincere steps to make sure the children obtain
secondary education.
The Council in collaboration with other stakeholders and the public in general,
succeeded to construct six new secondary schools, establishing 16 streams in ten
existing schools.
“The public were complaining that the situation could lead to lowering the
morale in primary schools, a thing that signalled that education standards could
be lowered in the district. So we asked the public to continue cooperating with
the Council administration in our efforts of constructing the six new secondary
schools,” she said.
Residents
allowed to stay – if area is safe
By Fatima Grace Bapumia
Dar es Salaam residents living in un-surveyed areas, which are not
hazardous for human settlement, will not be forced to vacate the areas. Rather
the government is planning to develop the areas with roads and basic facilities.
Only those living along the river that run across Dar es Salaam City will have
to evacuate.
Speaking to The Express, Dar es Salaam Regional Commissioner Yussuf Makamba said
the government will take initiatives to develop the un-surveyed areas such as
Manzase without destroying the houses that are already built.
“It will be very expensive for the government to destroy all the houses and
build again, so the houses that are already built will not be destroyed instead,
the government will ensure roads are built in those areas and that there is
adequate water supply, electricity and sewerage,” he said.
Earlier during the week, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Lands and Human
Settlement Development, Salome Sijaona had said that more than 70 per cent of
Dar es Salaam residents live in un-surveyed area.
In agreement with Sijaona, the RC said Dar es Salaam City has flourished without
proper planning due to shortage of land in the past. That is why people were
compelled to build houses in hazardous areas. However despite the allocation of
new land people are reluctant to move from the valley.
“The government has already allocated 120 plots in Boko but people are still
being stubborn, they want compensation,” Makamba said adding that only those who
were given the plot by the government are entitled to compensation.
Dar es Salaam residents are urged to obtain licences for their properties as
this will enable them to apply for loans.
Kikwete – the
oldest youth ever, says Mrema
By Fatima Grace Bapumia
Following Jakaya Kikwete’s election victory to become CCM’s
presidential candidate last week, Chairman for the Tanzania Labour Party,
Augustine Mrema has told The Express that people should not be deceived by the
‘young’ Kikwete.
Pointing to the call that Kikwete is a young leader who can relate to the youth,
Mrema said this is CCM’s way of silencing the frustrated unemployed youth in
Tanzania. “Since 1961, the government has been saying that the youth are the
nation of tomorrow but tomorrow never comes, so now that the ruling party feels
threatened they masked and shaped a 55 year old man into a youth. It’s a lie. He
is not a youth he is an adult,” Mrema said. Adding, Mwalimu was a young leader
when he began the struggle for independence in his early 30’s.
“The youth are being cheated and they are not even aware of it, instead they are
popularizing him and hailing him. It is a delusion that Kikwete will create
employment for them,” he said.
Mrema criticised Kikwete’s promise of creating employment in Tanzania on the
basis that it is not plausible. “How can Kikwete create employment for people
who hardly have class seven qualifications? We are now part of the open market
where your skills sell. It’s a competitive labour market and the competition is
not just within Tanzania but with the whole world. Can our class seven leavers
compete in the labour market?” he asked.
THI
plans 100 heart surgeries
By Kizito Makoye
Over 100 marginalised children from across the country suffering from heart
problems will undergo surgery this year following a massive fund raising
initiative that the Tanzania Heart Institute (THI) has embarked on.
According to Dr. Ferdinand Masau, Founder and President of THI, the Institute
resolved to assist as many children as possible who can hardly afford to secure
medical services because of the cost involved.
“THI came up with the idea simply to help the children who can not afford the
cost of open heart surgery,” said the institute’s spokesperson.
Dr. Masau said there are two groups of patients who will benefit from this
programme, the first one is those children who were born with heart
complications and secondly those who experienced heart disorders while growing
up.
He said each successful operation might cost at least Tsh. 3.5 million and
special equipment for surgery cost about Tsh. 1.5 million. Tsh. 450 million has
already been donated.
The operations will be conducted by THI heart specialists in collaboration with
experts from Texas Heart Institute, German Heart Centre-Munich, Heart Centre
Verde-Denmark under PSD programme.
The charity fundraising event takes place on Saturday and according to Steven
Kuziganika, the coordinator, it is estimated that Tsh. 500 million will be
donated.
The President of the Pan-African Parliament, Ambassador Getrude Mongella (MP) is
expected to be the guest of honour at the event. A walk will start at Leaders
Club and pass through Tunisia Road and Ali Hassan Mwinyi Road and finish at THI
head quarters at Mikocheni.
Foreign
experts to evaluate communication network
By Kizitto Joseph
Communications experts from China are in the country to evaluate the
construction of a modern national communication network.
The experts have started countrywide survey on how the project will be
fulfilled. The survey is aimed at discovering areas with communications
difficulties and come up with new ways of facilitating telephone and ICT
communications.
According to anonymous sources it is uncertain if TTCL will be assigned to be in
overall charge of the project.
Public Relations Officer in the Ministry of Communications and Transport, Edward
Mkiaro confirmed to The Express the presence of the Chinese experts in the
country.
Meanwhile, Tanzania Communications Regulatory Authority (TCRA) has clarified
that the use of the new Vodacom number 0746 will end on December 31 this year.
New calling numbers will change as follows: Vodacom will use 074 instead of
0744, Celtel 078 instead of 0748, Mobitel 071 instead of 0741 and Zantel 077
instead of 0477.
FGM
practitioners return surgical equipment
By Angela Mazula
About 30 circumcisers from five wards in Manyara Region have returned back their
surgical equipment to district leaders.
Speaking to The Express recently Mohamed Hamad, a coordinator of the Female
Genital Mutilation Network (AFNET) said that at least now people are trying to
understand the problem of a woman being circumcised and what the effects are.
He added that the surgical equipment has been returned to the district leader
over a period of six months.
However, he said, the problem remains as many circumcisers do not agree with the
logic of returning the equipment. Some of them have been taken to court because
they refused.
“More education is needed to educate these people,” he explained.
back to headlines
Wildfires
cause water shortages
By Damas Ayuke, Kigoma
The problem of wildfires is thought to contribute to the problem of water
shortages in various villages in Kigoma District, Kigoma Region.
At a one day session for locality chairmen of Kasese Village Government on
Monday this week ideas were discuss on how to stop wildfires that has been a
problem in the district.
Acting Kigoma District Council Forest Officer, Kishela Siulapwa said wildfires
have contributed to shortages of water.
To eliminate the problem of wildfires, the people should cooperate closely to
bring to the open responsible people.
Kasese Village Chairman, Abel Ntashama said that to eradicate the problem of
wildfires, a by-law should be enacted where those found guilty would be booked.
Wildfire campaigns for Kigoma District residents have been conducted in 16
villages where the regional motto of the campaign was ‘Fire is Dangerous for
Environment and Living Creatures’.
Jambo
in CNN Multichoice finals
By Express Reporter
The finalists in the CNN MultiChoice African Journalist 2005 Competition, were
announced yesterday by Joel Kibazo, Chairperson of the independent judging
panel. The competition, held in association with South African Airways and
sponsored by a number of leading African companies, received 630 entries from 40
countries throughout the continent, including Francophone and Lusophone Africa.
Air Tanzania’s in-flight magazine, Jambo got short-listed through an entry
submitted by Sakina Datoo.
The other finalists are: Ntai Bagshaw, Daily Independent, Nigeria, Benjamin
Joffe-Walt, Freelance, South Africa, Julie Kelly and Nicolene Troll, First Edit
for Carte Blanche, M-Net, South Africa, Sarah Kimani and Orto Sori Orto, Nation
Television, Kenya, Angelo Kinyua, Medeva for KBC, Kenya, Nadia Lamlili,
L’Economiste, Morocco, Nkepile Mabuse, e.tv, South Africa, Hilary Mbobe, Malawi
Broadcasting Corporation, Malawi, José Luïs Mendonça, Freelance for África
Lusófona Magazine, Angola, Jessica Pitchford, SABC, South Africa, Mohamed Saïm,
Radio Nationale Algérienne, Algeria, Roseline Wangui Wanyiri, Nation Television,
Kenya, Debbie Yazbek, The Star, South Africa.
The winners of the competition, now celebrating its tenth anniversary, will be
announced at a gala awards ceremony in Nairobi, Kenya on Saturday June 25th. One
of the co-hosts for the evening will be Jeff Koinange, CNN’s Africa
Correspondent.
Violations of
freedom of expression slightly down in SADC countries
By Timothy Kitundu
The Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA) issued 169 alerts in 2004 about
media freedom and freedom of expression violations in 11 countries in the
Southern African Development Community (SADC).
This is a decrease of 10 per cent. Over 188 alerts were recorded in 2003. In
1994 when MISA first began monitoring media freedom and freedom violations in
the sub-continent 84 alerts were issued.
MISA Regional Director, Luckson Chipare said recently in a statement that the
countries monitored include Angola, Botswana, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique and
Namibia. Others are South Africa, Swaziland, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
He said that although Zimbabwe continues to lead in terms of the number of
individual violations recorded, MISA documented a 54 per cent decrease in the
number of violations from the previous year (from 102 in 2003 to 47 in 2004) in
Zimbabwe.
MISA’s Regional Programme Specialist for Media Freedom Monitoring Zoë Titus,
attributes this vast difference to the fact that the independent media in
Zimbabwe has been effectively silenced with vigorous application of Access to
Information and Protection of Privacy Act (AIPPA) and the Public Order and
Security Act (POSA).
“The closure of the Daily News and Daily News on Sunday in September 2003 and
that of the Tribune in 2004 have impacted decisively on critical and independent
reporting,” she said.
Whilst Zimbabwe recorded a decrease, Swaziland on the other hand, showed
significant increase in the number of violations recorded in 2004, in fact a
total of 29 individual incidences, as opposed to the official 3 recorded in the
previous year.
Good laws in themselves, according to her, do not ensure an improved environment
for media freedom. In Zambia, the benefits of the enactment of the Independent
Broadcasting Authority (IBA) and Zambia national Broadcasting Corporation (ZNBC)
Acts have not yet filtered down to the populace.