BURUNDI: UN raises alarm over malaria epidemic, says 1,800 lives lost so far in 2019

The United Nations humanitarian agency has raised the alarm over the malaria epidemic plaguing the African country of Burundi.

According to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), in its situation report, Malaria has killed more than 1,800 people in Burundi this year.

The UN’s humanitarian agency says the death toll of Malaria rivals the equally deadly Ebola outbreak in neighbouring Democratic Republic of Congo.

OCHA also added that 5.7 million cases of malaria had been recorded in Burundi in 2019 – a figure roughly equal to half its entire population.

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The UN humanitarian agency in its report said; “The national malaria outbreak response plan, which is currently being validated, has highlighted a lack of human, logistical and financial resources for effective response.

“All stakeholders, including the national authorities and partners are called upon to provide the requisite resources to mount a robust response to this event before it escalates,” it noted.

OCHA also added that; “A lack of preventative measures like mosquito nets, climatic changes and increased movements of people from mountain areas with low immunity to malaria were driving the crisis.

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