April 30, 2022

Eritrea: Eradicating malaria

Malaria is one of the world’s killer diseases. According to the World Health Organization (WHO) reports, in 2020, the number of infection worldwide was 241,000,000, while the number of deaths stood at 627,000, with 95 % of malaria incidences and 96% of deaths occurring in Africa.

Prior to Eritrea’s independence malaria incidence was very high as well as mortality rates were. For example, between 1987 and 1989 there was a malaria endemic that claimed many lives. Even after independence, malaria incidence was relatively high in the early period.

But in 1998, the government launched a five-year strategic plan to drastically reduce the infection rate of malaria. It aimed at lowering the incidence rate, the spread of malaria and death rate by 80%. The efforts and commitment of the government and people’s awareness about prevention gave results that exceeded the set goal. Malaria infection rate went down by 82 % while the death rate caused by malaria decreased by 91% between the years 1999 and 2004.

Eritrea was able to achieve a lot in controlling malaria because of the concerted efforts of many parties and the government’s strategies. The parties include the government and its partners and the public. The government’s strategies focus on prevention and include efforts to raise people’s awareness about malaria and ways of prevention through mass media and public gatherings; covering swampy areas with soil; making healthcare services accessible in all parts of the country, including remote locations; distributing mosquito bed nets to communities that live in malaria-prone regions; and spraying antibiotic around very infectious areas. Mosquito nets are given for free, and in the past 25 years around 10 million nets have been distributed.

Another strategy that is playing an important role in efforts to contain malaria is the introduction and distribution of modern diagnostic modalities, including microscopic detection and rapid blood detection tests (RDT).

There are many febrile illnesses with symptoms and clinical presentations similar to that of malaria. However, in the last 20 years, malaria has been treated only after definitive diagnosis of the disease has been confirmed. Patients diagnosed with malaria are often given Artesunate and Amodiaquine for three days; in some cases, Primaquine is also prescribed in addition.

The graph shows that in 1998 the spread of malaria was high even in Maekel region and the Southern Red Sea region, areas that had not been vulnerable to replication of mosquitoes. As the graph indicates the prevalence of malaria in 1998 was 39% in Gash Barka region, 28% in Southern region, 12% in Anseba region and the remaining 21 % in the other three regions and at referral hospitals. The concerted efforts paid off. In 2020, the incidence of malaria in Maekel and Southern Red Sea regions dropped to 0%. It also went down significantly in Anseba and Northern Red Sea regions.

The only regions that are now targeted for intervention are Gash Barka and Southern regions, and the Ministry of Health (MoH) continues to make efforts to eradicate malaria in both regions. It is also building the capacity of the healthcare facilities and raising people’s awareness of the causes of malaria and means of prevention. Every year the MoH sets action plans to help sustain its achievements and conducts annual monitoring and evaluation to determine its success and areas for improvement. And it sets strategic plans every five years.

In recent years the MoH has established malaria entomology laboratories for research in Elabered, Anseba region, and Tesseney, Gash Barka region. The laboratories play an important role in identifying the mosquito species and the types of malaria plasmodium parasites. For all its efforts in combating malaria, Eritrea received ‘ALMA Award of Excellence,’ an award given to the best malaria controlled countries.

Eritrea has registered a sustained progress in the reduction of malaria over the past two decades and has now moved towards eliminating malaria. According to Demographic Health Information System (DHIS) 2018 data, at least 67 % of the population is under continuous risk of malaria with overall incidence of 10.0 per 1000 people per year. However, the incidence varies greatly between and within the different regions from zero to 33.1 per 1,000 people per year. Malaria incidence rate dramatically declined from 157 per 1,000 people per year in 1998 to about 10 in 2018. Similarly, malaria-related mortalities declined from 0.186 per 1,000 people in 1998 to 0.0015 in 2018. There has been an exponential decline in malaria deaths from a total of 405 in 1998 to five in 2018.

This year, Malaria Day was commemorated under the theme ‘’Harness innovation to reduce the malaria diseases burden and save lives.’’ In 2020, the death rate due to malaria was 900 % higher than the previous year’s worldwide, and this indicates the seriousness of the disease and the disaster it causes, especially for Africa. This calls for an urgent and integrated global malaria prevention and treatment efforts. Considering its track record, Eritrea is expected to sustain its achievements and be successful in totally eliminating malaria in the coming few years.

Source: Ministry of Information Eritrea

April 30, 2022

Workshop of National Voluntary Blood Donors Association

The National Voluntary Blood Donors Association organized workshop on 29 April in Asmara under the theme “Institutional Integration for Community Based Blood Donation Activity”.

Indicating that to ensure the availability of blood to patients requires developed understanding of the public, Ms. Aelm Berhe, chairperson of the association, said that the objective of the workshop was to develop community based voluntary blood donation.

Dr. Yohannes Tekeste, director of the National Blood Transfusion Service, on his part said that compared to previous years blood collected in 2021 has increased by 90% and that attests to the increased understanding of the public on the significance of voluntary blood donation in saving lives.

Speaking at the occasion, Mr. Gebremicael Tesfazghi, head of health promotion at the Ministry of Health, called for integrated effort on the part of all partners to enrich the National Blood Transfusion Service.

The participants conducted extensive discussion on the reports presented and adopted various recommendations.

Source: Ministry of Information Eritrea

April 30, 2022

Eritrea: Unity in Diversity

Eritrea is gracefully endowed with a very rich cultural capital, the result of its ethnic, linguistic and religious diversity. Taking diversity as a source of strength and beauty, the government and people of Eritrea give priority to unity. The nine ethnic groups and both Christians and Muslims identify and think of themselves as members of one nation and family.

Religious tolerance and understanding among Eritrean Muslims and Christians offer valuable lesson in tackling extremism, radicalization and other related challenges. Unable to spend Easter with my parents who live far from Asmara, I went to my uncle’s home for lunch. The house was filled with visitors, mainly young boys and girls who are my 17-year-old cousin’s classmates. When I noticed that Hayat, my cousin’s best friend, was not there with the cheerful crowd, I soon remembered that Ramadan is not over yet. Knowing the reason for Hayat’s absence, I teased my cousin saying “you were fasting together until yesterday and you are now eating without her.” She then showed me the chocolate, candies and cookies she had reserved for her friend, Hayat, to be given after Fetur (breaking of the Fast). Eritrea is fortunate to have such youth that have inherited a history and culture of tolerance and understanding.

Religious tolerance is crucial in building unity among adherents of different religions. Eritrea is a peaceful country immune to inter-religious conflict that could disrupt social relations and national stability. The mutual tolerance and understanding among adherents of different religions is a means and guarantor of the social harmony and peaceful co-existence of the Eritrean society.

The mutual respect among Eritrea’s diverse population has played a vital role in shaping national morality and conduct of the country. It exerts a cohesive force in articulating common national values mediated through rituals, symbols, and ceremonies. The Eritrean national identity provides a meaningful set of values and acts as an overarching moral glue that binds the nine ethnic groups into one single community. The cohesion and shared values fostered by the Eritrean national identity is essential for social and political cohesion.

The social interaction between adherents of different religions to cheer one another’s religious holiday is a norm in Eritrea. Religious tolerance in Eritrea is not a new invention but has been a tradition for a long time. The inclusion of religious tolerance and freedom in all the customary laws of Eritrea is a manifestation of the broad mindedness of the society. The customary law of Logo Chiwa, for example, states that “we, Christians and Muslims, are brothers. There is no social cleavage in our brotherhood. We look, speak and act the same.”

Eritrea is a secular nation that respects the equality of religions, and religious freedom has statutory protections and guarantees through explicit provisions in Eritrea’s Civil and Penal codes.

The “unity in diversity” concept is incorporated in the National Education Policy of Eritrea to produce responsible citizens. Textbooks highlight the need to preserve ethnic harmony and religious tolerance. Eritrea provides a common secular space to all citizens regardless of their ethnic, linguistic or religious group. “Unity in diversity” is embedded in Eritrean national psyche.

During religious observances, Eritreans pledge to strengthen religious harmony through mutual tolerance, respect and understanding. In Eritrea, citizens are free to maintain their distinct identities while being unified by a national identity and a shared commitment to the common good.

Religious tolerance is more than public order. Public order is maintaining public tranquility, but religious tolerance is measured only by the quality of relationships between adherents of different religions. The general public views harmony as a way of optimizing liberty, solidarity, as a means to realize other rights. Religious leaders champion interaction, integration, and religious tolerance for the common good. Respecting and celebrating one another’s religious holidays and practices is common among Eritreans. Stirring up religious tensions and promoting feelings of ill-will and hostility among adherents of different faiths is a social taboo.

The social harmony of the Eritrean society which promotes norms and encourages conciliatory methods of dispute resolution plays a pivotal role in the preservation of social cohesion. Thanks to the wisdom of its people and GoE’s judicious policies, Eritrea has become an oasis of peaceful co-existence and peace in a troubled region. The social cohesion and trust between Eritreans is a great national resource that enables the country to overcome challenges associated with nation building. The strength of Eritrean nationalism lay in its plurality and indivisible unity of its citizens.

Source: Ministry of Information Eritrea