Health and Social Services Minister, Dr. Kalumbi Shangula, has applauded the Kunene Region for making great strides towards its elimination of malaria, although the disease remains a threat in the country.
 
The Khorixas Health District was awarded the Simon Kunene Award for achieving near-zero transmission from 2020 to date.

Khorixas Health District is the first recipient of the Simon Kunene Award, an achievement the minister says reflects the collective commitment across SADC to eliminate malaria and improve the health and well-being of communities.
 
The health district serves a population of over 15,000 people.

"Together, we have achieved something truly remarkable, reducing malaria transmission close to zero in the Khorixas Health District, a milestone that seemed like a distant dream not too long ago. This award is a tribute to the relentless efforts of the Khorixas district's healthcare workers, who have worked tirelessly on the front lines, often under challenging circumstances. Their dedication to surveillance, early detection, and treatment has been pivotal in our success."
 
Dr. Shangula also called on malaria-endemic regions to emulate Khorixas District's success to attain a malaria-free future by 2030.
 
"As we celebrate this achievement, we must also recognise that our work is not yet complete. Malaria remains a persistent threat, and we must continue to build on our successes to ensure that the gains we have made are not reversed. I encourage all districts and communities within malaria-endemic regions to draw inspiration from Khorixas's example. Let us redouble our efforts, share best practices, and support one another as we strive to reach the critical milestone of zero local malaria transmission in all our districts."
 
Khorixas State Hospital Senior Medical Officer, Dr. Ali Mbuyi, attributed the district's success to teamwork and great surveillance control measures.

"The early you are diagnosed, the earlier you are treated, and the virus of that parasite or burden in you will be decreased, such as the chance of transmission to the next person will be subsequently or substantially decreased. So these are some of the most important things, and at the district level, we have to ensure that all health facilities within the district have within their stock the presence of the rapid testing kits. So we have to ensure that is in place."
 
The Simon Kunene Award is named after an epidemiologist from Eswatini, Simon Kunene, who was renowned for his fight against malaria.
 
The trophy also came with a cash cheque of US$10,000 from the SADC Malaria Elimination 8 Secretariat.