What strategies and actions are used to fight malaria?
No one action will beat malaria. We could distribute as many bednets as we like, but on their own, they are not enough. Prevention and treatment are complimentary tactics used to fight malaria. Prevention is achieved through: – the use of bednets, preferably treated with an insecticide – removing areas of water where mosquitoes breed – house spraying with insecticide – educating people as to the value of all of these actions to help prevent malaria – and monitoring mosquito populations to understand which insecticides they are sensitive to All these tactics dramatically reduce incidents of malaria. Treatment includes: – the use of drugs and ensuring the availability of those drugs in a timely fashion, something that is a constant challenge given the remoteness of many parts of Africa. Unfortunately the malaria parasite has become resistant to many drugs, such as chloroquine, which have been used to treat it successfully in the past. Substantial research is needed to find new drugs that
