Limpopo Government Reports 3 Malaria Cases Between 2024 and 2025, SA Worried

• The Limpopo Department of Health has announced that it has recorded three malaria deaths between April and January 2025
• The department also revealed that it recorded over 500 malaria cases in the same period
• It gave residents tips on how to prevent getting bitten by a possibly malaria-infested mosquito

Tebogo Mokwena, a dedicated Briefly News current affairs journalist, contributed coverage of international and local social issues like health, corruption, education, unemployment, labour, service delivery protests and immigration in South Africa during his seven years at Daily Sun and Vutivi Business News.

LIMPOPO — The Limpopo Health Department has called on residents to allow malaria control personnel to spray their homes. This was after it announced that the province reported more than 500 malaria cases.

Limpopo and malaria

According to SABC News, five people died from malaria between April 2024 and January 2025, and more than 500 people were infected with malaria. Department spokesperson Neil Shikwambana called on residents to allow malaria control personnel from the departments to spray their homes.

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What can residents do?

Shikwambana said residents should consider using insect repellants regularly, wearing skin-covering clothing, especially at night, and sleeping under mosquito nets, especially in high-risk areas. He also stressed that those who travel between malaria-endemic areas must take prophylactic medication to minimise the chances of contracting the disease.

Stories about infectious diseases

• The Department of Health in April 2024 urged South Africans to vaccinate themselves to protect from respiratory infections
• Two months later, the then health minister Joe Phaahla confirmed that two people died from Mpox
• The Human Sciences Research revealed that Gauteng had a high rate of HIV infections in 2024

South Africans worried

Netizens on Facebook expressed concerns about the prevalence of mosquitos.

Phatela P. Mothapo said:

"There are lots of mosquitoes this year. I blame that consistent rainfall and heatwave."

Sadi Wa Ga Leso said:

"They hide in pit toilets and at night they come to bite us."

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Heather Vhutshilo Mufmadi said:

"We don't have peaceful sleep due to mosquitoes."

SAMA warned against COVID-19 misinformation

In a related article, Briefly News reported that the South African Medical Association condemned the spread of misinformation on social media platforms about another strain of COVID-19 in May 2024. This was after the Omicron XBB variant was identified.

SAMA said that the strain was less severe and transmissible, and warned citizens to avoid spreading unverified information about the variant strain. Some South Africans shared the same sentiments.

Source: Briefly News