“The best opportunity for… malaria prevention is the… distribution of Long-Lasting Insecticide-treated Nets.” — World Health Organization (WHO)
Malaria is a problem, a big problem. You know what I am talking about. Nothing new to say! Over 1 million people die yearly — mostly, children (under the age of 5) and pregnant women. And we are having resistance everywhere — resistance to treatment drugs and insecticides! Yet, our best shot is at prevention. As always, prevention is better than cure. But, how do we prevent malaria?
Insecticide-treated mosquito nets reduces malaria infection by 50% and reduces death from malaria by 20%! It is relatively cheap and simple to use. And if combined with other forms of prevention, the results is impressive. It blocks, disables, repels, and kills mosquitoes.
This is what we will do: clear bushes and stagnant waters around our houses (to destroy their breeding places), wear protective clothes when outside in the evenings, shut our doors and windows before sunset (to prevent mosquitoes entering our homes), use aerosols insecticides is our rooms (because mosquitoes could bite before we get under our bed-net, say, while watching TV in the sitting room), sleep under an insecticide-treated net (with the electric fan or air-conditioner put on).
I could go on and on, but you might quickly say “please, we know these things; tell us something new!” There’s nothing new! Anyways, for now, at the time of this writing, without any vaccine against malaria, use of bed-nets is our saving grace!
Simple. Get a mosquito net today, before night-fall! Every child and pregnant woman MUST sleep under one! This is the 11th commandment!
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