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Some
of the strategies below are appropriate for individuals,
while others are very useful on an area-wide or country
wide basis.
- Screening:Screening
of Dwellings to Prevent Malaria Mosquitoes from Entering
and Biting the People Inside is a positive development
measure. Screening of buildings also improves people's
lives in other ways, i.e. by keeping flies out of homes.
Where it's possible [i.e. buildings have four walls] to
put screens on windows and screen doors on doors, it should
be encouraged. Screening is a useful adjunct to use of
a treated bednet or residual treatment of walls because
it reduces the number of malaria mosquitoes entering and
leaving the building.
- Biological
control: Mosquito fish reduce larval mosquito
populations, and some countries have established programmes
for distributing these small fish to residents. Mosquito
fish are often particularly effective in small ponds,
water tanks etc.
- Source
reduction: This is possible in some conditions
but very difficult in other conditions. Source reduction
is particularly useful for vector species, such as Anopheles
stephensi, that often breed in man-made containers
[i.e. water tanks] and at construction sites. There are
several species of malaria vectors, and these species
breed in many different locations. If the vector mosquitoes
are breeding in water tanks, for example, it is possible
to screen the tanks. However, if the malaria mosquitoes
are breeding in a swamp, it is not always possible nore
wise to attempt to drain the swamp. Thus, other strategies
for breaking transmission may need to be used.
- Drug
treatment of malaria patients: People who have
malaria have parasites available for malaria mosquitoes
that bite them. If they are treated with appropriate drugs,
the parasites disappear from their blood and are not available
to the mosquitoes. This helps to reduce the transmission
of malaria.
- Unfortunately,
often not everybody who has malaria parasites available
for mosquitoes to "take" shows the symptoms of malaria.
In some areas, including Africa, a very large percentage
of people [over 50%] may have malaria parasites yet
only some people [mostly small children and pregnant
women] show the symptoms. Thus, drug treatment of
patients is a helpful technique in controlling malaria,
but it cannot be the only technique
used.
- Use
of insect repellents: This is especially recommended
for those who are travelling or are temporarily in malarious
areas. This strategy is too expensive for many people
who actually live in malarious areas.
- Use
of mosquito mats and coils: This is similar to
the use of repellents. Some people may be allergic to
the smoke that these devices emit, and for some, these
devices are too expensive.
- Use
of bednets that are treated with an insecticide:
This is a strategy that has been proven to be effective
in reducing childhood morbidity and mortality in numerous
studies in SubSaharan Africa. A pyrethroid insecticide
[derivative of compounds found in the flower Chrysanthemum
cineraraefolium] is used to treat the bednets. The
mosquitoes that land on the net are prevented from biting
the person sleeping under the net, and mosquitoes often
avoid landing on the net altogether. The bednets need
to be re-treated with insecticide at intervals of approximately
6 months.
- Residual
treatment of interior walls: In many instances,
malaria mosquitoes rest on the walls before or after biting
people. Residual treatment of the walls inside a house
repels or kills the mosquitoes. This malaria control strategy
is very effective where houses have four walls. An insecticide
with residual activity needs to be used so that the treatment
lasts for some months. Some insecticides are more expensive
than others. Also, malaria mosquitoes in some places are
resistant to some insecticides. Thus, a large variety
of possible insecticides need to be available for this
purpose.
- Multiple
Strategies need to be Available to control Malaria.
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