[afro-nets] Is elimination of malaria in Africa by 2010 unrealistic? (4)

["Dr. Jasper Ijumba" <jasperijumba@mail.com>]

Is elimination of malaria in Africa by 2010 unrealistic? (4)
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I am so glad that, we are beginning to realise this fact. I have always argued with proponents of chemotherapy i.e. those who advocate for the sole use of chemotherapy as a way of combating vector-borne diseases like malaria. Bearing in mind the efficiency of a vector like Anopheles gambiae or An. arabiensis coupled with An. funestus in some areas in Africa South of the Sahara, I doubt whether this goal would be achievable. I have specifically referred to the African malaria vectors because the species above constitute the most efficient vectorial system in the world. We always treat signs and symptoms but rarely get to the source of the problem (MOSQUITOES!!!). I am also so glad that someone has pointed out the element of cost i.e. in terms of burden to the health sector. It is horrendous. However, many Governments would rather spend billions and billions on anti-malarial drugs than spend a fraction of the cost on mosquito control, which is the source of the malaria scourge. I wonder whether it is because our policy makers are unaware of the cost-benefits of malaria vector control plus chemotherapeutic measures versus chemotherapy alone! It is also surprising that a clinician prescribes medicine to a patient, even if the patient comes back with the same complaints a hundred times, but does nothing about the root of the cause. No wonder we have come to accept malaria as part and parcel of our communities, because we feel that whenever we fall sick, we seek treatment and we get better and this has blinded us into believing that it is an acceptable cycle. I would liken this to subsistence farming i.e. cultivate, harvest, use it all, cultivate again etc. but when drought strikes, you have nothing to eat! Even when there is glut, a lot of food is wasted (we do not store food and we do not do our sums on costs or risks associated with cultivation cycle pointed out above).

Malaria control in its totality ought to be part and parcel of all strategies to eliminate diseases from our respective communities. The strategies meant here include those targeting poverty alleviation, disease control, education etc.

Thanks

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Jasper N Ijumba, BSc., MSc., PhD, (LLB Cand.)
University of Dar es Salaam
Department of Zoology & Wildlife Conservation
P.O. Box 35064
Dar es Salaam-Tanzania
Tel: +255 222 410 462
Fax: +255 222 410 480
Mobile: +255 744 361 597
        +255 748 361 597
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