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[08/04/2005]
 Namibia | |
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Dr Francis Louis, Yaounde, Cameroon
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General Statistics
Area: 824,290 km²
Population: 1,648,270 inhabitants (1999
estimation)
Capital: Windhoek
Currency: South African rand
Official Language: English
Bordering Countries: Angola, Zambia,
Botswana, South Africa 
Out of 192 countries, Namibia ranks
141st for life expectancy, 132nd
for infant mortality, 83rd for GNP,
162nd for daily calorie intake,
168th for literacy,
14th for the percentage of children in
full-time education (source: Atlas Encyclopédique Mondial, Nathan
Ed., Paris 1996, pp.118-119)
There is hardly any rainfall in the country but the coastal regions
are often shrouded in a cold humid fog. | Epidemiological Facies
Malaria is not a public health concern in
Namibia.According to the MARA/ARMA project hosted in South
Africa, Namibia can be cut up into 4 malaria risk zones (cf
map): The zone to the extreme north of the country is in reality the
only area of risk with a transmission period of 4 to 6
months.
In zone II: The malaria transmission period is less than 3 months
and the risk is judged as being “low”.
In zone III: Transmission occurs periodically and the risk is “very
low”
In zone IV: There is no malaria. 
There are few publication on malaria in the country. It appears
that Plasmodiumfalciparum
is the only plasmodial species present but there is no official
proof of this. | Vectors
Jacques Brunhes et al.(Les anophèles de la région afro-tropicale,
logiciel ORSTOM Ed., 1998) registered 21 different
species of anopheles in the country, of varying medical
interest: Anopheles arabiensis, Anopheles cinereus
cinereus, Anopheles coustani, Anopheles demeilloni, Anopheles
distinctus, Anopheles fontinalis, Anopheles funestus, Anopheles
gambiae, Anopheles listeri, Anopheles maculipalpis, Anopheles
marshalii, Anopheles moucheti moucheti, Anopheles namibiensis,
Anopheles nili, Anopheles pharoensis, Anopheles pretoriensis,
Anopheles rhodesiensis rhodesiensis, Anopheles ruarinus, Anopheles
rufipes rufipes, Anopheles squamosus and Anopheles ziemanni
| Chemoresistance
The first recording of chloroquine-resistance occurred in 1984
(1, 2).
In 1990, out of 26 strains tested in vitro, 11 were resistant to
chloroquine (42.3 %) (6).
| The National Anti Malaria Program
No published information.
Y. Kassankogno refers to a fight program based on the management of
cases, insecticide spraying and a chemosensitivity surveillance
program (11). | Research
Research into malaria is carried out by the National Malaria
Research Program, Medical Research Council, 17120 Congella, Durban,
South Africa.
The object of their research is to create a malaria risk atlas for
all the countries in Africa: and is official known as “Mapping
Malaria Risk in Africa/Atlas du Risque de la Malaria en Afrique”
(MARA/ARMA). The program is now in its fourth year and the first
results can be seen on their internet
site: http://www.mara.org.za
| Advice to travelers
According to the B.E.H.« Bulletin épidémiologique
hebdomadaire » n°24-25 of the 14th june 2005, Namibia is
classified under chemoresistance group III. This signifies
that a traveler spending less than 3 months in the country should
take the Mefloquine or the Atovaquone-Proguanil combined
treatment. Moreover, individual measures of protection against insect bites
should not be forgotten. | Bibliography
1. ISAACSON M., COX G.A., SIELING W.L. - Chloroquine
resistant Plasmodium falciparum malaria in
Namibia. Lancet 1984 ; ii: 42.
2. BLUMENFELD A.M., SIELING W.L., DAVIDSON A., ISAACSON M. -
Probable
chloroquine-resistant Plasmodiumfalciparum
malaria in south-western Africa. SAMJ 1984 ; 66: 207-208.
3. ISAACSON M., COX G.A., SIELING W.L. - In vitro confirmation of
chloroquine-resistant Plasmodiumfalciparum
in southern Africa. SAMJ 1984 ; 66: 209-210.
4. SPRACKLEN F.H.N., WHITTAKER R.G. - Malaria 1984. II - Resistant
malaria. SAMJ 1984 ; 66: 211-216.
5. SAARINEN M., THOREN E., IYAMBO N. et Coll. - Malaria prophylaxis
with proguanil to Namibian refugee children in Angola. Trop. Med.
Parasitol. 1988 ; 39: 40-42.
6. SHARP B.L., FREESE J.A. -
Chloroquine-resistant Plasmodiumfalciparum
malaria in the Kavango region of Namibia. SAMJ 1990 ; 78:
322-323.
7. MOBLEY C.C., BOERMA J.T., LOHRKE B. et Coll. - Validation study
of a verbal autopsy method for causes of childhood mortaliey in
Namibia. J. Trop. Pediatr. 1996 ; 42: 365-369.
8. KRON M.A. - Subsandard primaquine phosphate for US Peace Corps
personnel. Lancet 1996 ; 348: 1453-1454.
9. THOMSON J. - Anaemia in pregnant women in eastern Caprivi,
Namibia. SAMJ 1997 ; 87: 1544-1547.
10. SCHWICK P., EGGELTE T.A., HESS F. et Coll. - Sensitive ELISA
dipstick test for the detection of chloroquine in urine under fiels
conditions. Trop. Med. Int. Health 1998 ; 3: 828-832.
11. KASSANKOGNO Y. - Aperçu sur le programme de lutte contre le
paludisme africain pour la période 1996-1997. Malaria and
Infectious Diseases in Africa 1999 ; n°9bis: 52-61.
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