Preventive measures at personal level can significantly help to counter malaria even before it strikes.
Malaria. A nasty disease that the entire country is falling prey to. Every year millions of individuals- young, old, and children suffer from malaria directly or indirectly due to the absence of adequate health care, education, and other facilities. However, there is a way to prevent this life-threatening illness from striking. Let us see how...
Malaria is a vector disease that is transmitted by mosquitos between individuals. That is why, our aim should be to prevent these mosquitoes from biting us. Here are a few measures you can take-
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Create Physical Barriers:
Physical barriers lower the chance of getting bitten by mosquitoes and is the basic primary prevention you need to keep malaria away.• Treat clothes with insecticide to prevent mosquito bites.Screen doors, windows, eaves, and other gaps in the building to restrict mosquito entry into your house.
• Install bed nets treated with insecticide (ITN) to protect you from mosquito bites during your sleep.
• Wear full-length, loose-fitting, and light-coloured clothing to protects yourself when outdoors.
• Treat clothes with insecticide to prevent mosquito bites.
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Chemical barriers:
Use of chemical barriers will help you to repel mosquitoes and/or kill them. For example:• Use topical insect repellents on exposed skin.
• Use insecticides that impregnate bed nets and clothing to avoid breeding.
• Make sure that your topical repellents contain 20%–30% DEET or 20% icaridin.
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Stop breeding your enemy in your backyard:
Getting rid of all breeding sites for mosquitoes is a key stop the spreading of Malaria.• Keep your surroundings clean and dry.
• Make sure to remove any open containers, toys, pots, etc that contain or can accumulate stagnant water.
• Cover all vessels and water containers with a lid to avoid mosquitos from laying eggs.
Remember treating Malaria may be challenging, but preventing it is easy. In this fight against malaria, we are all together. An ACT of prevention can help to defeat malaria for the coming generations.
Together, let us all ACT FOR AFRICA.
Reference: Can Commun Dis Rep. 2014 Apr 3; 40(7): 118–132
