The World Health Organisation(WHO) has warned that tens of thousands of Ethiopians may die in a malariaepidemic without urgent preventative steps in coming monthsafter heavy rains enlarged mosquito breeding grounds.
"It looks as though it is going to be a major epidemic ofmalaria building up over the next few weeks or months," saidDavid Nabarro, head of the UN body's Health Action in Crisisunit.
"It could, if we are not able to cope with it effectively,lead to tens of thousands of deaths," he told a briefing forreporters on Friday evening.
Nabarro said risks appeared highest in previouslydrought-hit areas that had been drenched by rain. Since Juneheavy downpours in southern, western and eastern areas havehelped ease a three-year drought, causing serious flooding insome places.
But Nabarro said that since many people had not beenimmunised a high percentage of the population in risk areascould fall ill. He called for urgent prevention steps such aselimination of ponds where mosquitoes breed, access to mosquitonets as well as spraying of risk areas with insecticide.
Kamla Siamevi, a WHO emergency and humanitarian coordinator,urged the authorities to pre-position adequate anti-malariamedicine in all areas with the potential for epidemics.
The two officials, speaking after visits to regions at risk,suggested an epidemic could inflate Ethiopia's usual malariadeath toll estimated by health officials at 100,000 a year.
Malaria is one of the biggest killers in Ethiopia, alongwith diseases linked to malnutrition. The Health Ministry saysmore than 40 million of the country's 67 million people areestimated to be at risk of malaria.