Malaria Hotspots

Published on February 27, 2008, 12:00 am
www.eastandard.net/news/?id=1143982460&cid=259

By Susan Anyangu and Elizabeth Mwai

The world’s first map showing malaria burden has been published and Kenya is among the vulnerable countries.

The map, which was developed after 40 years, shows that about half of the 2.3 billion people at risk from malaria live in areas where chances of catching the disease are low.

"If mosquitoes do not get enough chances to bite, the transmission cycle wanes and disappears. In these low transmission areas you just need to push the disease a little bit and it should collapse," said Mr Simon Hay, a researcher at the University of Oxford.

Hay expressed surprise at the findings, which indicate that parts of Latin America, Asia and Africa face a significantly lower risk of malaria transmission than previously thought.

The findings show that using insecticide treated bed nets (ITNs) more extensively could stamp out the disease.

Last year, the Ministry of Health announced that massive scale-up of ITNs had reduced malaria deaths in children from 34,000 to 16,000 annually.

On Tuesday, the head of malaria division, Dr Willis Akhwale, said the map would enable the Government to prioritise disease intervention strategies in endemic areas.

"We will now concentrate and plan our intervention strategies according to the needs as laid out in the map," he said.

Speaking on telephone, Akhwale said they were finalising the results of a household survey conducted last year to develop a local map.

Oxford University and Kenya Medical Research Institute have developed the global map courtesy of funding by the Wellcome Trust Medical charity.

Akhwale said the map listed Western, Nyanza and Coast provinces as the most endemic areas, while the least prone areas were Central, Nairobi and North Eastern.

He said the country was heading to the peak malaria transmission period beginning June, and they were preparing for various activities, among them indoor residual spraying.

I have met people who've got malaria in the north, in the south, in central India... the problem is, sometimes like with the vivax strain, you find out you've got it a year+ later and will have no idea where you got it. Ditch the dangerous meds, in my opinion, coverup your arms, legs and feet at about 5pm, and use some DEET or Odomos on your hands and face... this from someone who's had malaria too...

Though I have never had malaria before, I usually take Malarone with me but don't take it as I'm always in Kenya in the dry season when there are no mossies. However, when I go the end of the month I suspect I'll end up having to take it because everyone has had heavy late rain which means tons of mossies around.

Covering your feet, arms and legs and using a DEET product will be a must for sure.

Andyflower

I couldn't agree more to what you said!

I think particularly American travel clinics are doing a lousy job by making travellers frantic about Malaria. I even read a post in another forum which stated that tourist's travel clinic advise to take water with to Africa

We always carry a stand-by med, use peaceful sleep and cover arms/legs, face and neck.

The problem with the chemical precuation in my opinion is if people feeling flu like symtoms weeks or months after their return they think they are safe regarding malaria and don't consider that disease.

Anyone that travels to the tropics where there is a percentage of malaria must remember that they are subject to getting infected.
I have had malaria on several occassions including tropical malaria whilst living in the Congo.
I have never taken anti - malaria tablets as being a resident of Africa I do not recommend taking this. Perhaps in the rainy season as a visitor malarone although quite expensive is perhaps the best on the market at the moment.

As you have said, cover up with what ever cream - spray you use however also during the day at times when being based around places with lots of plants & trees.
At night it is a must including on the base of feet when sleeping under a mosquito net as people forget that leaning against the net whilst sleeping - thiose little flying mozzies can still strick through the net....

I started becoming very lax about taking my Larium tablets when traveling in Malaria hot spots Africa and Central and South America....until a friend of mine took his wife to Tanzania during a very rainy period for their first safari in Africa.

He took the Larium but she said she was having wild, vivid dreams and stopped taking them. When she got back to the States she was feeling very ill with "flu-like" symptoms. She had unfortunately contracted the worst of the malaria protozoa...this very healthy 34 year old woman died after a day or two in hospital.

I take Larium before, during and after my trips. I can live with the "wild, vivid dreams". I have no other adverse symptoms. I hear good things about Malarone but it is very expensive and my health plan will not pay for it. So far, so good, with the very inexpensive Larium (I pay $0 for it).