The Malaria Crisis in Africa

The sad truth is that malaria in Africa is probably even worse than we think.

There are two reasons for this, and both have to do with money, not health.

One, tourists are less likely to visit areas where malaria is rife. So governments are reluctant to reveal just how bad malaria is in their country. While I was living in Swaziland, the government boasted that the country was malaria-free – but meanwhile, my doctor friends were treating not just malaria but blackwater fever (the worst variant). Reports of the disease were hushed up. If that was happening in Swaziland, then it was more than likely happening across the continent.

Two, there is no money in malaria. Hospitals need money, and African hospitals are always short of it. Western and local governments are offering grants to treat AIDS patients, but there is very little available to treat malarial patients.

For this reason, it’s widely accepted that AIDS cases are over-reported across Africa. Because AIDS symptoms are vague and many hospitals can’t afford testing to confirm the diagnosis, it’s easy to classify almost any patient as an AIDS sufferer rather than their real sickness. You can’t blame the hospitals for this subterfuge – they need the money to treat their patients, and if this is the only way to get it, you can understand why they do it. But the net result is that the number of reported AIDS cases blows out of all proportion, while the number of other notifiable diseases drops, masking the real problems.

Because of this, it’s safe to assume that the number of malaria cases is even higher than we think it is.

It’s true that DDT spraying was incredibly effective in wiping out large malaria populations, and that since the spraying stopped, mosquitos have returned in ever larger numbers. Yes, it is damaging for the environment, but perhaps it’s time for an independent body to conduct a major cost/benefit analysis on the issue.

Mosquito photo courtesy of naturegirl 78 on Flickr.