Methods of Controlling Malaria

Control Method Effectiveness Insecticides e.g. DDT, Malathion DDT was initially very successful but Malaria has returned to areas where it was thought to be under control, e.g. Sri Lanka. DDT is harmful to the environment and impacts upon the food chain, thus it is due to be banned globally by 2007. Malathion is more expensive, stains the walls yellow and has an unpleasant smell so is unpopular. Mustard Seeds – become wet and sticky and drag the mosquito larvae Wasteful, costly and impractical – all breeding under the water, drowning them. grounds would need to be covered. Spraying egg white or oil on the surface of the water to clog the breathing tubes of the larvae. Bti bacteria grown in coconuts. The Cheap, environmentally friendly, and 2 or 3 coconuts larvae eat the bacteria which destroys will control a pond for up to 45 days their stomach lining. Adding larvae eating fish to ponds Effective and a useful additional source of protein Draining areas of stagnant water Requires much effort. Not always practical in the Tropics due to the climate. Flushing reservoirs every 7-10 days Flushes larvae Genetic engineering of sterile males Reduces mosquito population Planting eucalyptus trees to soak up Requires much effort. Not always practical in the excess water from the ground tropic Drugs e.g. chloroquine, larium or Chloroquine – easy to use, relatively cheap, but malarone becoming ineffective in some areas as mosquitoes develop resistance to it. Larium – more powerful and gives greater degree of protection but can have powerful side effects. Malarone – fairly new drug – 98% effective and few side effects Education campaigns delivered through Prevention is better than cure. PHC schemes, e.g. advise people to cover up their skin at dusk, use insect repellent. Use of mosquito nets It is thought that 30% of child deaths could be prevented by sleeping under a mosquito net. New drug- Artemisinin – from the Put into pill form it is easy to take. Artemisinin Quinghaosu plant (sweet wormwood). combination therapy (ACT) has been recommended by the World Health Organization as the best strategy for treatment of malaria.