CABINET has approved an additional $58.4 million for malaria control, bringing the total figure allocated to the effort to $88.6 million.

In making the announcement at yesterday’s post cabinet press briefing at Jamaica House, Information Minister Donald Buchanan said the decision followed a report from Health Minister Horace Dalley.

Acting chief medical officer, Sheila Campbell-Forrester, confirmed that there are 103 cases of malaria which have been identified. These includes 15 positive cases detected from 317 samples sent to the Centers for Disease Control(CDC) in Atlanta last week. Another 334 cases are still being tested in Atlanta.

Campbell-Forrester said that the National Health Laboratory is receiving some 200-300 smears per day for testing from the affected areas, which ensures that the backlog remains at a relatively high figure. She also informed the media that the lab was testing smears from both public and private institutions because of the shortage of expertise. However, she said that with additional assistance from overseas, the laboratory should soon be able to clear up the backlog.

Meanwhile, Buchanan told the briefing that Dalley had informed the cabinet meeting that the ministry and its team overseeing the efforts to complete the process of eliminating malaria from the identified areas have been working successfully towards their goal.

He said that Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller was at the ministry Saturday, and gave instructions for the modernisation of the laboratory facilities to ensure that they are prepared for any future medical challenges of a similar nature.