AirWolf  

From All Africa

08/24/2009

Mosquito Day to raise Awareness of the Importance of Mosquito Elimination Program

Accra-Ghana, - In honor of World Mosquito Day, observed annually on August 20, but ignored in most African countries including Ghana, Volunteer Partnerships for West Africa (VPWA) and it partners in the sub-region is working to increase awareness of the importance of adoption of efficient technology to kill mosquitoes to eliminate mosquito borne diseases including Malaria.

World Mosquito Day originated in 1897 by Dr. Ronald Ross of the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine. After dissecting mosquitoes known to have fed on a patient with malaria, Ross discovered the malaria parasite in the stomach wall of the mosquito. Through further research using malarious birds, Ross was able to ascertain the entire life cycle of the malarial parasite, including its presence in the mosquito's salivary glands. Ross confirmed that malaria is transmitted from infected birds to healthy ones by the bite of a mosquito, a finding that suggested the disease's mode of transmission to humans. For his findings, Ross is credited with the discovery of the transmission of malaria by the mosquito, and was honored with a Nobel Prize for Medicine in 1902.

Presently, the World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that 350-500 million cases of malaria occur worldwide each year, and more than one million people die, most of them young children in sub-Saharan Africa. Mosquitoes cause more human suffering than any other organism, and afflict not only humans, but animals as well.

VPWA is using this year’s Mosquito day to point out the flaws in policies of countries in Africa and to recommend to committed leadership in these countries to take the bold initiative of implementing a result oriented initiative that could eradicate Malaria in 3 years(probably within first term of some African leaders).

First the Bed net:  A research finding has put the effectiveness of this approach at 25%. This means that, in the unlikely event of every person within a given geographical area (for example: Ghana) sleeping under bed nets from 5pm-7am, Malaria cases are likely to be drop by 25%. Despite these research findings, yet still we have NGO’s raising money all around the globe in pursuit of ‘blanketing’ Africa with nets. It should be noted that, mosquitoes do not bite only when you are in bed.

Second Indoor Residual Spraying (IRS):  Indoor Residual Spraying, is the dispensing of insecticides on walls made from porous materials such as mud or wood but not plaster as in city dwellings. The idea is that, after the mosquito has taken the blood meal, it will land on the wall and die. In some African countries where DDT is used, this repels the mosquito from even entering the house.  Less effective insecticides like permethrin are also used for this purpose. This method has proven to be about as effective as bed nets achieving only around a 25% reduction in transmission rates.  Studies on bitting rates done in Mali, indicate that about 38% of all biting occurs out doors.  As a consequence this is why bed nets, and Indoor Residual Spraying, will never break the malaria transmission cycle. 

Third truck mounted "fogger" units:  These units are only capable of reducing mosquito populations by about 30% in the US, where they are in common use.  However this is under better circumstances than are available in Sub-Saharan, Africa, where there is a general lack of a good road grid pattern, typical of American Suburbs. 

It must be understood that a 30% reduction in mosquito population does not translate into a 30% reduction in malaria transmission.  The Centers for Disease Control did a study some time ago in Sub-Saharan Africa and managed to get a 90% reduction in mosquito populations, however only a 25% decrease in transmission rates was achieved.

This having been said, it must be realized the reduction levels achieved with these experiments were gotten on the basis of a controlled research protocol.  A real world situation would not be controlled.  Not everyone would sleep under a bed net and not every house will be treated with Indoor Residual Spraying and the truck mounted fogger units are a bigger joke than either bed nets or IRS treatment, when it comes to reducing the transmission of the malaria parisite. These considerations are not applicable however if a program involving  treatment of an entire region is accomplished using aircraft equipped with insecticide aerosol generators.

In the unlikely circumstance the whole of Ghana is blanketed with nets, meaning, all inhabitants of homes, hotels etc. sleeping under nets and IRS enabled in every home and Truck mounted fogger units dispensing insecticides in our neighbourhoods; Ghana will see a reduction of 50% in Malaria transmission. However, for Ghana to implement this multi faceted approach and be successful  the nation will spend 50% of it’s GDP, annually to maintain it. Failure to maintain the exercise will also lead to a catastrophic rise in human death due to Malaria.

What are we proposing?

We are proposing ‘Aerial Spraying’ or what the Americans call ‘Space Spraying’. This technology consists of an aircraft equipped with a high pressure aerosol generator, treating the entire environment the mosquito lives in, effectively eliminating the mosquito. 

We are proposing this project be funded by the grant money currently being wasted on marginally effective interventions and wish to introduce this method to Ghana as a model for the elimination of malaria in Africa.  We estimate that for only about 2% of the total direct and indirect costs presently associated with malaria in Ghana, malaria could be eradicated within 3 years.  Within 30 days the transmission cycle could be broken within a given treatment area. 

That having been said, defeating malaria in Sub-Saharan Africa is the challenge of all challenges, and certainly not a task for amateur’s.  Sadly however this is the case, amateur’s are in charge of this effort.  The irony, it would cost much less to succeed, in this endevour, than pursue the present failed strategy.