Malaria Prevention Saves Lives

According to the World Health Organisation in 2016, there were an estimated 216 million cases of malaria in 91 countries, an increase of 5 million cases over 2015.

Malaria deaths reached 445 000 in 2016, a similar number (446 000) to 2015.

With the above statistics it’s hardly surprising that global organisations and drug companies have stepped up their efforts to find a cure and a vaccination to fight malaria.

Working in some of the remotest communities in Africa it is easy to see how a case of malaria can spread, and quickly turn into an outbreak. With poor medical facilities, combined with the lack of malaria testing kits and antimalarial drugs, the nurses and medical officers have a constant battle in trying to control malaria.

Until a cure is found, or a vaccination is offered on a mass scale, malaria is crucial to avoid contracting this 0potentially deadly disease. Mosquito nets are the most essential form of protection and a must for infants and pregnant women. Sadly, people in developing countries cannot afford to buy them and their governments largely rely on International Aid.

Over the past 12 years we have distributed thousands of mosquito nets  as well as funding malaria prevention workshops, throughout the Kazungula District of Zambia. In addition to the nets, in 2015 we started using Vectorcide’ s safe insecticidal coating and larvicide granules. The results have been quite remarkable, with the number of malaria cases being considerably reduced.

After much success in Mukuni Chiefdom, in 2017 we ventured into Moomba Chiefdom, some 300 km from our base. We were told that no other charity had ever offered support, and that there was a high prevalence of malaria, with 46% of the population being infected. Following a distribution of mosquito nets in July we applied the insecticidal coating and larvicide granules in December last year.

In January and February 2018 only 51 cases of malaria were recorded, compared to 502 in 2017. The number shows a reduction of 90%. We were recently told by the Ministry of Health that a record had been broken – ‘Moomba has recorded the lowest ever number of malariacases.’ Our aim this month is to ensure that the entire Moomba population is protected.

By offering communities mosquito nets, applying safe insecticidal coating on the walls of their homes, and dispersing larvicide granules in ponds and streams, universal coverage is provided. We have proved that this is one of the most effective and advanced ways of helping to eradicate malaria. The coating works far better and lasts much longer (up to two years) than indoor residual spraying, which is effective only for 3 to 6 months.

None of this can be achieved without donor funding and experts on the ground. We are extremely lucky to have an exceptionally committed Environmental Health Technician on our team of volunteers in Zambia. She continually trains and motivates community health workers to be aware of the importance of early testing and administering treatment to prevent complications. These local people play a crucial role in the success of this programme.

We recently moved into Nyawa Chiefdom to target new areas that are recording high numbers of malaria cases. 650 mosquito nets have been donated and three villages are receiving the new intervention.

The Butterfly Tree is making a small, but significant difference in the fight against malaria, but we need more funds to be able to reach out to the most vulnerable areas.

Featured on Crisis-Response, after an interview with a member of the AIDEX team, The Butterfly Tree, explains why its malaria prevention programme is so effective in the areas it has been implemented. 

In the last five years, Zambia has made great progress in preventing and controlling the spread of malaria, but it still affects over four million Zambians and kills more children under the age of five than any other disease or illness. While many international NGOs are providing immunisation, research, medical supplies and mosquito nets, remote areas are often not reached.

By focusing on these neglected areas, one small charity, The Butterfly Tree has produced life-changing results with its malaria prevention programme. Yet the organisation is not what you might expect – it is a volunteer-run, grass-roots body which channels an impressive 97 per cent of donations directly into local projects that support orphans and rural communities.

For ten years now, The Butterfly Tree has run a malaria prevention programme in the Mukuni Chiefdom, often providing mosquito nets to help the Zambian government manage shortfalls. In response to the growing resistance to treatment drugs and insecticide resistance in mosquitoes however, in 2015 the charity introduced a different approach. A new safe insecticidal coating was painted onto the inside of dwellings, which causes mosquitoes that land on the surface to fly away and die. This method works in conjunction with harmless larvicide granules, which are placed in stagnant water to prohibit mosquito larvae from developing.

By controlling the mosquitoes both at the larval stage and killing them, as opposed to merely repelling them with the new insecticide, this joint intervention has seen a record zero malaria deaths in the Mukuni Chiefdom in the past five years. In December 2017, a World Health Organisation (WHO) consultant visited where The Butterfly Tree’s local environmental officer  and was astounded at the data she had collected, which evidenced the lowest cases of malaria in the district.

To ensure accuracy of the information that has been collected, Jane says they work on a daily basis with Sibeso: “Who is totally committed to eradicating malaria.” Sibeso’s statistics according to Jane, are so well-matched, with exceptional results, that the government of Zambia analysed them to check their accuracy. Jane remarks: “We’ve got it all documented, we just need another proof that this intervention is working. We are very transparent and open to sharing the progress to donors to explain where their funding is going.”

Working with local volunteers on the ground in Zambia also makes it easier to source projects and solutions. Jane says that as locals: “They are familiar with the area and communities, so there is less time needed for immersion and less discrepancies with communities feeling as though foreigners are treading on their toes and intruding.”

Most importantly, working with people on the ground enables the organisation to operate in remote places where a lot of other charities do not venture. Heat, malaria and risk of getting stranded deters many INGOs from even attempting to access these locations. Jane drove for seven hours last summer through difficult terrain – roads with potholes and roads that weren’t roads at all. She was headed towards Moomba, a community that had never received direct charity support, despite 46 per cent of the area’s population being affected by malaria.

After assessing the situation on the ground, and with the help of the Zambian government, two Butterfly Tree volunteers were able to distribute mosquito nets to 400 dwellings and spray the insecticidal coating. Within a month and to date, a medical report has found no new cases of malaria in Moomba.

Now, with a decade’s worth of data and an eagerness to share it with the appropriate organisations like WHO, The Butterfly Tree is providing hope that malaria in Zambia can be beaten. 

Links:

• How a grass-roots charity is beating malaria in Zambia