SA can eliminate Malaria in five years: foundation
An organisation fighting Malaria feels South Africans do not know enough about the disease.
Organisations and health officials are marking World Malaria Day today.
Goodbye Malaria is aiming to eliminate malaria in Mozambique by 2030.
The organisation's CEO Sherwin Charles says knowledge, technology and training will then be rolled out to the rest of the continent.
Charles says while the disease is both preventable and treatable, it is one of the world's biggest killers especially in sub-Saharan Africa and among children under the age of five.
"The cases in South Africa has been on the increase in the last few years but South Africa is one of the countries that within five years can eliminate Malaria. There's a quite a bit of work that needs to be done for us to get there but in terms of our population, we are not educated," he said.
The World health organisation wants to wipe-out Malaria in at least 10 countries by the end of the decade.
The WHO says most cases in South Africa are in areas bordering Swaziland, Zimbabwe and Mozambique. 11 700 cases were registered locally in 2014 down from 64 000 in 2000.
(File photo: Gallo Images)