According to the World Health Organization (WHO) malaria is a disease that is both preventable and curable. Malaria has been brought under control and even eliminated in many parts of Asia, Europe and the Americas. However in many endemic countries in Africa, malaria infection rates continue to rise in spite of intensified efforts by governments and civil society. Reasons include increasing resistance of mosquitoes to drugs and weak health systems.  

 

Experts agree that to control malaria and to ultimately ensure that families can live malaria-free lives; an integrated package of control interventions that focus entirely on relatively simple yet proven solutions is needed. 

 

• Most malaria-carrying mosquitoes bite at night. Consequently Insecticide-Treated Nets (ITNs), if maintained and used properly, can provide an effective protective barrier. Regular use of ITNs can reduce malaria-related deaths by about 20% in both adults and children.
• Indoor Residual Spraying (IRS); specialised teams spraying the inside walls of a house with insecticide which helps to kill the mosquito.
• Prevention methods for pregnant women include administrating treatment doses of antimalarials every two months during pregnancy during routine antenatal clinic visits, known as Intermittent Preventative Treatment (IPT). This helps protect pregnant women from anaemia, malaria-related low birth weight and possible death. In Nigeria, it is reported that due to malaria there are around 11% of deaths among pregnant women. Throughout the whole of sub-Saharan Africa, there are approximately 200,000 infant deaths each year due to malaria-related low birth weight.
• Information and education are key to malaria prevention efforts. Education campaigns are crucial, focusing on the correct use of ITNs, how to recognise the symptoms of malaria in adults and children, treatment of malaria, how to protect pregnant women and their unborn children and where appropriate, the importance of IRS.