AT least 60% of all Mozambicans seeking medical treatment suffer from malaria and an estimated 40% of the country’s hospital beds are occupied by malaria victims. The country’s health minister, Francisco Songane, describing the statistics as “the worst in southern Africa and possibly the world,” on Tuesday said malaria was beginning to have a serious affect on Mozambique’s economy. “The problem is that victims have to remain in hospital for at least three days even after treatment, clogging up the health system and staying away from work,” he said. A significant percentage of victims are, he added, Mozambique’s economically active citizens and farmers. Farmers simply could not afford to take ill, as their lands stood fallow if the planting season was missed.