Drought 'helping' malaria struggle

The drought in Swaziland has a "silver lining", according to a local health worker.

Historically, Swaziland has suffered badly with malaria, but the government and international aid agencies have been working hard to eradicate the disease in recent years.

As a result, the number of cases has fallen from 4,000 a year in 2000 to 1,000 a year now.

Arnold Simelane, a health worker based in Swaziland's malaria belt, told the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs that the improvement could not solely be attributed to anti-malaria initiatives.

The lack of rainfall, which has created a humanitarian disaster in the country, has also helped, he explained.

"No one thought that drought had a silver lining, but that's apparently the case with malaria. Small bodies of water and vegetation where mosquitoes breed dried up," Mr Simelane explained.

Last month saw much of Swaziland benefit from heavy rains, but the eastern Lowveld area did not witness a single drop.

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