(How do you solve) a problem like malaria?

Reading this article on the bbc today brought up an issue that has been close to my heart since I too went to work as a volunteer in Ghana last summer. 20 year old Harry Yirrell spent 4 months teaching at and helping to build a school in Brenu Aykinim, between Cape Coast and Takoradi in the Central Region. Whilst he was there he made the decision to give away his malaria prevention drugs and sleep without a mosquito net. Within a week of returning home he had died from malaria. Now his Mum Jo has visited the place where Harry stayed to see the effects of malaria on those who live in an endemic area and raise awareness of this unforgiving but preventable disease.

Whilst I do not want to be judgemental, even Harry's mum admits it was foolish to assume that he didn't need to protect himself against malaria. Being a traveller he would have been at very high risk as he had no immunity against the disease.

"Malaria doesn't need to kill anyone, which is the irony of Harry's death. He had the tablets with him - he just didn't take them." (Jo)

During my own time at Cape Coast hospital in summer 2007, I saw upto half the patients walking in the doors having symptoms of malaria, most of them being young children, carried in by their mothers having been sapped of even the energy to walk.

Malaria is easily treatable if recognised early. Virtually everyone with a fever was treated as having malaria. However, it can be even easier and far more preferable to prevent the disease in the first place with bed-nets, insect repellents and preventative drugs. Sadly most Ghanaians do not protect themselves, either because they can't afford to or because they do not feel the need. Most people are infected with malaria at some point in their lifes, this allows them to build up a level of immunity against the symptoms of the disease, but not against the infection itself, which can be caused by a single mosquito bite. Until education and aid provide better protection for all people in endemic areas, malaria will continue to be one of the biggest killers in Africa.

A few shocking facts about malaria
A child dies of malaria every 30 seconds in Africa.
Children under 5 and pregnant women are most at risk.
Malaria costs the african economy £8bn a year
Worldwide, malaria causes around 350 to 500 million illnesses and more than one million deaths annually.
Malaria is treatable and preventable but many communities do not have access to the correct medication, relying on herbal remedies or incomplete doses.



Harry's mum has become an ambassador for the charity Malaria No More which aims to ensure the leaders of G8 and EU countries deliver their goal to provide 100 million bed nets to sub-Saharan Africa by the end of 2010. For more information visit the charity website, or one of these other links below.
World Health Organization
Malaria Site
NHS
Wikipedia

Below- Harry's trip to Ghana- He felt he was 'big and strong' enough to get by without protection and gave his medication to the children in his village.

Also a photo from my own time in Ghana, with delightful children from the Human Service Trust Orphanage, Cape Coast. Some of these children we had to take to the hospital when they too contracted malaria. They had only tatty bed nets (some with holes in) to protect them from mosquito bites.