The Pan African Mosquito Control Association in partnership with Kenya Research Institute and other African countries has emphasised on integrated vector management as an approach to tackle malaria. Malaria kills over 1.2 million people annually.
The team of experts who had conducted series of studies began their investigation when they noticed the alarming rate at which mosquito and other vector borne diseases has wreaked havoc in tropical and subtropical African environment. Mr Abraham Mzunva who presented the keynote address said that most African children under the age of five, are infected with Dengue fever together with haemorrhagic disease.
He said some of the causes are poorly designed irrigation and water system, poor waste disposal, water storage, deforestation and loss of biodiversity. He said that inspite of the fact that man has being able to kill mosquitoes, you will find out that the various efforts made to combat mosquito has not really made much impact as billions of people are still affected."As soon as those medications were developed and deployed into the fight against malaria, resistant strains soon emerged, that is the reason for the new tool strategy he stated. Mzunva noted that rather than rely on a single method of vector control, studies have proved vector management as vital. He stressed the importance of first understanding the local vector ecology and local patterns of disease transmission and then choosing the appropriate vector control tools from the range of options available.
He further said that environmental management can reduce or eliminate vector breeding grounds altogether through improved design of water re-source development projects as well as the use of biological control.
Meanwhile, the National Malaria Elimination Programme(NMEP) Coordinator, Dr Audu Bala, said that the use of insecticide treated mosquito nets which have proven to be effective against the parasite should be used to prevent the disease. "But with the majority of Nigerians living below $2 per day, even the relatively cheap,nets are beyond the means of the average-Nigerian, while the need for such a contraption is seen by many as not being sufficiently weighty on their scale of needs to warrant ex-pending funds on. Such is the dilemma faced by the majority. If medications designed to treat malaria are failing and there are not sufficient funds by all to buy mosquito nets in order to help prevent the insect from assessing the human blood meal it needs.
By: Bianca Iboma
Daily Sun News
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