Most people think that HIV/AIDS is the biggest problem in Mozambique. It is a big problem, that is true, but in reality more people die from malaria in Mozambique than from AIDS. Malaria is a tropical disease that is contracted from mosquitos. Malaria is fatal and can kill an adult within a week, it can even take the life of a child within days. Malaria is more dangerous than other fatal sicknesses due to the commonality of the symptoms. Symptoms can range from a head ach, fever, stomach ach, diarrhea, and vomiting. So you can see why it would be difficult to diagnose malaria when the symptoms could lead to any number of things.
In Mozambique it is very common for someone to
get malaria multiple times a year. The
symptoms are similar to those of the flu or common cold. It is such a common disease that the
hospitals hand out medication without even testing for the sickness. Many times medical staff assumes that
someone has malaria and prescribes the medication, when in fact it is a
different sickness. When this happens
the patient creates anti-bodies for the medicine and becomes more resistant the
next time they actually have malaria.
Due to the different strands of malaria and people becoming resistant to
the medication it is becoming harder and harder to control.
One of the many methods to fight
against malaria is the use of mosquito nets but unfortunately a lot of people
either don’t have them or don’t use them.
The problem is that people either cannot afford to buy them, they don’t
like to use them because sleeping under a net can trap the heat or its just
annoying to put up and down every day.
People here are so used to getting malaria and it becomes normal and so
prevention goes out the window.
One of my goals for this year is
to start mosquito net distribution to the families in our orphan and vulnerable
children program. Hopefully we can
distribute nets and teach about the importance of using a net and how it can
significantly lower the rate of malaria.
I will also be preparing lessons on malaria that will be presented to
kids clubs and the guardians of the orphans in our program.
One of my fellow pcvs is working
on malaria awareness and our goal is to raise awareness through blogging for
the month of April! So I am really late
haha but better late than never :D
