Preventing Malaria

Health Education Day 2010

Project Mosquito Net was launched in Lusaka, Zambia on April 21, 2010. The event was attended by over a 500 people including dignitaries from the Copmead/Jons hospice, Government Clinics, the District Health Management Committee, Rotary Club of Nkwazi, and St. Johns Ambulance. It was an open event for the community. View photos of this event »

At the event, 500 mosquito nets were distributed to 5 groups of people as follows:

(i) 200 nets were provided to care givers of the HIV positive children who are enrolled in Power of Love’s pediatric AIDS program.
(ii) 135 nets were provided to pregnant women from various local Clinics, Churches, and the community.
(iii) 95 nets were provided to children under 5 years of age, and
(iv) 70 nets were provided to people living with TB or HIV/AIDS.

Activities During Health Education Day 2010

The activities carried out during the day commenced with a prayer, speech from the Guest of Honor. In his speech the Guest of Honor, briefly described Power of Love’s work in the Matero compound and the importance of preventing Malaria by using long lasting insecticide treated nets (LLIN’s) as Malaria can be fatal in an area with a high prevalence of HIV/AIDS (especially for children less than 5 years and pregnant women).

This was followed by a demonstration on the treatment of the mosquito nets, and a health talk on prevention of malaria via proper use of mosquito nets, drainage maintenance, filling and removal of breeding sites for mosquitoes, and the right way to set up and use the net. The speaker emphasised that ” prevention is better than cure”

All participants learned about the proper use of nets, and prevention of Malaria day while being entertained by songs and dances. Health Education Day 2010 closed with a vote of thanks from one of the beneficiaries.

Criteria for the Beneficiaries

The selection of beneficiaries was as follows:

(i) Care givers of children who are HIV positive and cannot afford to buy a net.
(ii) Pregnant women who cannot afford to purchase a net. Clinics, Churches, and our community partners were consulted.
(iii) Children under five who are HIV positive or are infected with TB.
(iv) People who are infected with TB and HIV.

Impact of Malaria in Africa

Malaria is Africa's leading cause of under-five mortality. Every year, 700,000 children under 5 years of age die of Malaria. In addition, a total of one million people die of Malaria every year – a disease that is easily preventable and curable.

Malaria can be prevented by:

• Boiling water for drinking, and
• Using LLIN’s (long lasting insecticide-treated nets). LLIN’s are considered one of the best means of protection against the mosquito-borne disease. Regular use can reduce deaths from Malaria by 50%, yet fewer than 5% of African children sleep under one.

Most of the children provided with nets were HIV positive at birth and are cared for by their grandmothers, single parents or extended families. For an HIV positive child, contracting Malaria could lead to a severe health risk or prove fatal. Further, women are four times more likely to get sick and twice as likely to die from Malaria if they are pregnant. Most of the women are unemployed, widowed or a single parent. Lastly, due to the high co-infection between TB, Malaria and HIV, a person who is HIV positive is more prone to Malaria and if treatment is not provided in a timely manner the disease could be fatal.

Need For Nets in Matero Compound, Lusaka

The Matero compound has a high need for distribution of mosquito nets as:

(i) There are a lot of shallow wells and sewerage ponds and this has made the area more prone to breeding of mosquitoes.
(ii) Many houses have backyard gardens to grow vegetables (due to the high prices of food), and these are breeding grounds for mosquitoes.
(iii) Due to the high unemployment levels, and prostitution in the area, a lot of people especially women, children and girls are prone to get infected by HIV.

The Government does provide free mosquito nets to pregnant women and children less than five years (with proof of age). However, the number of nets provided by the Government, is far less than the need for nets in the area.

Impact of the Nets Distribution and Follow-Up

As a result of use of the long lasting insecticide treated nets we expect that:

(i) We expect fewer cases of Malaria in the Matero compound.
(ii) We expect that fewer children will need drugs for Malaria.

We will be conducting post distribution analyses to measure the impact of the distribution.