Roraima confirms 5,750 malaria cases in first quarter

Health authorities in Roraima state, north Brazil, have confirmed a total of 5,750 cases of malaria across the state from January 1 to March 30 this year. Of these, 2,040 are believed to have come from other states or other countries. Last week, the authorities had reported that a significant number of cases of malaria in the state come from Venezuela.

Roraima shares national borders with the country ruled by Nicolás Maduro, from which some 40 thousand Venezuelans are estimated to have come to the state to flee the political and economic crisis facing the neighboring country.

“Figures are alarming and the state has strengthened measures to fight the disease,” an official note reads.

In 2016, nearly 9 thousand cases of malaria were registered in Roraima. In 2017, this amount skyrocketed to over 14 thousand.

Training

Last Tuesday (17), due to the surge in the number of cases, a meeting was held to train endemic disease treatment agents, public officials, basic care professionals, microscopists, and biochemists. The goal was to discuss strategies to improve the diagnose, treatment and the control of the disease throughout the state’s 15 municipalities.