Mortein, joins hands with the Directorate of Malaria Control (DMC), an attached department of Ministry of NHSRC, alongside World Health Organization (WHO) & The Global Fund to drive an awareness campaign against vector-borne diseases (VBDs) on World Malaria Day.
With an estimated 0.7 million cases annually of Malaria and over 45,000 confirmed cases of dengue last year alone, the entities look to bring awareness to the problem and are working towards disease preparedness and prevention in observance of the day, officials from DoMC, Minister of NHSRC, the Joint Secretary of Health and National Coordinator CMU – Muhammad Bashir Khetran, as well as WHO country representative – Dr. Palitha Mahipala, The Global Fund officials, and representatives from Reckitt Pakistan supporting the cause.
Director, DoMC , Dr. Muhammad Mukhtar took to the podium to state, “Vector-Borne Diseases (VBDs) like Dengue, Malaria, and Leishmaniasis pose to be a leading cause of mortality and morbidity in Pakistan. Last year, approximately 480,000 people were reported to have contracted these diseases.
By giving it due attention and spreading awareness of these diseases to the public, we believe we can overcome this concern. Our collaboration with credible organizations like Mortein, GFATM, TIH, and the World Health Organization (WHO), has aided our mission in spreading this much-needed awareness. Only by following the right preventive measures will we be able to ease the burden of these diseases.”
Head of Corporate Communications & External Affairs at Reckitt, Natashe Zafar, followed this speech by adding, “Our agenda towards awareness against VBDs are aligned with the MoH’s, and we take the safety of not only our consumers, but every person in high regard. As a product that has 100% efficacy against Dengue, our collaboration with the esteemed officials aids in our mission to eradicate the cause of these diseases.”
Over the past five years, Pakistan has suffered from more than approximately 200,000 cases of Dengue and 177 million individuals are at risk of malaria; both deadly diseases that have no vaccine and have the potential to impact the lives of millions. Protection and prevention is the best possible cure and with the changing weather and onset of rainfall; all Pakistanis are urged to take all possible precautions. With the staggering numbers in mind, Reckitt is already running a campaign on the awareness of vector-borne diseases in collaboration with the Ministry of NHSRC, Government of Pakistan.
