Malaria still a deadly concern in Zambia

Malaria isn’t something I knew much about before I came here. I knew that it was spread through mosquitoes, but I never knew anyone that had actually been infected or even an area that was highly prone to malaria cases.

That’s because it just isn’t common in the United States anymore, but then I come here to Zambia, where it’s everywhere, and it’s everywhere all of the time.

Statistically malaria -- not HIV/AID, car accidents, or even malnutrition – is the No. 1 killer in all of Africa and the greatest public health issue in Zambia.

Malaria (specifically the strand plasmodium falciparum – which is the most severe strand of malaria) is delivered by a single cell parasite. This parasite is transferred here in Zambia through the Anopheles mosquito, of which only the female spreads the malaria-causing parasite.

It’s estimated that more than 90 percent of the nation’s 13 million citizens are at risk for malaria exposure. Most commonly those at risk are children between the ages of 1 and 5, and sadly that is also the demographic killed by malaria most often. At this age the children don’t have the physical strength or immune system to fight the disease and, because of that, many thousands die every year.

Small rural clinics like this are where most villagers go for medical treatment, especially when seeking treatment for malaria.

However, with all that is known about malaria at the rural level, there is still a large amount that isn’t known and even more misconceptions that are taken as truths.

For instance, it is believed that there is a direct correlation between malaria and the number of mangoes that a person consumes – the more eaten, the greater chance of contracting the disease. This, of course, is incorrect; mosquitoes transmit malaria, not mangoes.

There are ways to combat malaria and its effects in the village. Maybe the single most effective means is using an insecticide-treated mosquito bed net every night. Sleeping beneath one of these nets not only keeps the mosquitoes away and unable to make that annoying buzzing noise, but it also stops them from biting and passing the malaria virus.

Coupled with the knowledge of when mosquitoes are most active (between 8 p.m. and 6 a.m.) can greatly increase people’s ability to remain healthy.

Sleeping under a malaria net is the best way to avoid infected mosquitoes and the malaria they cause.

Recently, there have been more strides made in the effort to put an end to the devastation of malaria in this part of the world and a quick Google search for malaria campaign turns up numerous results from the Buzz and Bite Campaign to the Lutheran Malaria Initiative, and many in between.

The Peace Corps’ own project is called Stomp Out Malaria (www.stompoutmalaria.org). It’s a program designed to increase efforts of Peace Corps Volunteers throughout Africa to aid in malaria prevention methods by training all volunteers regarding malaria, providing volunteers with more educational materials and pushing for people to become active to stop this deadly disease.