How can we stop malaria from killing more of our children
It is no longer news that poverty, corruption and lack of education are the common factors that most African countries share. These vices do not only impinge on the underprivileged people, they equally affect the governments and the nation as a whole. Together they form the biggest barrier to social and economic development in Africa today.
Recently, the Guardian Network Africa sampled friends’ opinions as to why they think malaria has not been eradicated from Africa as it has been successfully done in Western countries. Their responses were profound and what we got was more than an education on the subject!
Malaria is a disease caused by a parasite that is transmitted by mosquitoes. According to the Roll Back Malaria partnership (RBM), malaria causes about one million deaths around the world every year. Last year, 91% of these deaths occurred in Africa, of which 85% were children under the age of 5. In fact, every 45 seconds a child dies of malaria in Africa.
Most people were of the opinion that the hot tropical weather in Africa, which is suitable for mosquito breeding, coupled with the poor hygienic conditions of African’s environment is the reason for the spread and persistence of malaria so far. According to them, prevention through improved hygiene would be the way forward to eradicate malaria from Africa.
Meanwhile, Munoh Kenne Foma – a medical doctor in Cameroon, provided us with a more in-depth historical journey on the previous attempts made by WHO to eradicate malaria worldwide. He went as far back as 1942, where their attempts had been successful in other countries but not Africa due to insecticide resistance by the mosquitoes, followed by chloroquine resistance by the malaria parasite. Further attempts to fight malaria dwindled.
In the late 90’s, the insufferable scourge of malaria in Africa could no longer be ignored. This prompted the United Nations to join in the fight against malaria with the Roll Back malaria partnership programme, to help African countries forestall malaria’s impending population annihilation. The Abuja summit in 2000 was attended by 44 of the 50 malaria-affected countries and their leaders resolved that by 2005, at least 60% of malaria sufferers would get prompt access to treatment while 60% of those at high risk (including pregnant women and children under the age of 5) would have access to treated mosquito nets and affordable treatment. The goal was to half the malaria death rate by 2010, one that was later buoyed up by the world leaders at the G8 Okinawa summit in 2000.
25th April 2010 (World Malaria day) marked ten years since these resolutions and pledges were taken by African leaders and yet, malaria death rate has not decreased. In fact, death rates in Africa may have increased since then! And hence, the inevitable question.
So why has there not been a follow through of the action plans set?
RBM reckons over 10% of the average African household’s annual income is spent on preventing or treating malaria. Malaria costs African countries 15% of their national budget (Abuja declaration). Another medical doctor we communicated with mentioned that where he works, in Douala- a coastal town in Cameroon, some people are so poor that they use the free mosquito nets they have been given for their protection against mosquito bites as fishing nets! So, is poverty the reason why malaria eradication is seemingly impossible in Africa?
Or can it be blamed on corruption – on individuals who redirect public funds to their private accounts?
Or perhaps it is the lack of education of Africans on the gravity of the problem, its impact on the society and the dire need for individual responsibility and cooperation in the struggle against malaria?
Interestingly, someone suggested a conspiracy theory, whereby organisations involved with the fight against malaria are not taking any serious actions to solve Africa’s plight so that big pharmaceutical companies can maintain their biggest market for their drug sales. They illustrated by saying that when it comes to vaccine development projects, funding from these organisations are limited, if not fictional. And yet, this could probably be the most efficient malaria preventive, if encouraged.
Whatever the real reason for the persistence of malaria in Africa, the Guardian Network Africa is of the opinion that poverty, corruption and lack of education are flagrantly lurking in the background, and play a major role in the failure to eradicate malaria from Africa till date. However, Africa can no longer rely entirely on others to clean up the mess within their homes!
In yet another desperate attempt to control malaria, African leaders reconvened and formed a new coalition –African Leaders Malaria Alliance (ALMA) with the optimistic goal of stopping deaths caused by malaria in Africa by 2015. This sounds hopeful, especially under the auspices of Obama’s global health initiative, which supports investments in global programs that fight against diseases that kill children, including malaria. But could this possibly be an acknowledgement by African leaders that malaria is unstoppable and so, it is better to rather control its fatality? Nonetheless, for this goal to be achieved there needs to be a sustained commitment on the part of both African leaders and African people.
So, resounding president Obama’s words in his recent visit to Accra, Ghana, “Africa’s future is up to Africans”. It is time for us to take our future into our own hands and shape our destiny.
Could the ALMA summit be another overly zealous goal? What can be done to eradicate malaria from Africa?
Guardian Network Africa Blog 