As organizations around the world honor World Malaria Day today, I’d like to give you something else to think about. And no, I’m not talking about the numbers and statistics that are vaunted so often as deterministic in the fight against infectious disease in the modern world. I’m talking about a snapshot of the day-to-day experiences and efforts that prove most valuable to malaria prevention, and just how important it is to educate individual people about the disease.
It may be hard for many of us in the developed world to imagine that many people in still-developing countries live in constant fear of mosquitoes-the primary carriers of malaria-or that other groups, in cultural contexts different from our own, may attribute causes of malarial infections to religious beliefs, or may reject preventive technologies for similar reasons. But barriers like these are all too common. World Malaria Day’s “Rollback Malaria,” a campaign funded by the Global Malaria Action Plan, aims to address these barriers directly by reaching out to individuals, providing access to preventive care, education and holistic support.
The Global Malaria Action Plan proposes to eliminate malaria once and for all by providing individuals with supplies and services such as insecticide-treated bednets, in-home spraying for mosquito, diagnostic tests (RDT’s) and ample doses of effective treatment.
For example, distribution of insecticide-treated bednets and education as to their proper use has proven effective in preventing a large number of malarial infections. Educating individuals on the typical nocturnal feeding patterns of malaria-carrying mosquitoes is critical. While some researchers have pointed out the fact that many residents of malaria-endemic countries complain of “sweating too much” and “not knowing how to use” bednets, it’s important to stress the trade-offs: mild discomfort vs. likely contraction of a possibly life-threatening illness.
In this way, when people realize the efficacy of sleeping under treated nets in maintaining their day-to-day health and preventing infections, they’re more likely to do so, even if it may cause immediate, yet manageable, discomfort.
Individual education becomes even more crucial when mitigation of malarial infection hinges on proper testing and the administration of effective treatments. RDT’s, or “rapid diagnostic tests” are important in diagnosing individuals who may be infected with malaria-and are also the first step in administering proper treatment.
People have to be educated about malaria symptoms, and that’s why individuals are encouraged to seek out an RDT to receive a correct diagnosis. In the case of infection, a proper dosage of an anti-malarial must be administered within 24 hours of the first signs of infection. It’s obvious how much depends on proper knowledge of the disease, proper preventive measures and proper administration of medical care.
But what about some of the very real cultural barriers I mentioned at the start of this blog post? Many people in malaria-endemic regions first prescribe their own treatments to infected relatives rather than accepting “strange” or “unfamiliar” treatments from volunteers or missionaries. Indeed, disease prevention is often rooted in deep-seated tradition, which is not easily revised or challenged. Researchers have cited the widespread use of “ineffective prevention practices” such as eating herbs and wearing charms or amulets, and often, these measures take the place of scientifically proven preventive tactics.
Others blame malarial infections on environmental factors that don’t necessarily influence proliferation of the disease. For example, people may blame the weather, an unhealthy diet or poor hygiene, thereby ignoring the possibility of transmission by the true culprits-mosquitoes-and forgetting or refusing to use cumbersome nets and in-home pesticides.
Rollback Malaria’s efforts are incredibly valuable, and a great step toward treating individuals rather than “populations.” It is clear that education is the key, and through education, we may finally see an end to malaria-one of the leading causes of poverty and death-in developing countries around the world.