Africa fooled on Mosquito/Malaria Control? (3)
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Dear Wiketye,
This is brilliant thinking and we should keep this in mind so
that we can actually implement it through any new projects and
while contemplating new interventions. Could I suggest that we
form a small team to actually analyse the policy formulation and
evidence for the current policies so that we can critically ar-
gue for the environmental component. Who would be interested?
Dr. Andrew Y Kitua MD, PhD
Director General
National Institute for Medical Research
Ocean Road, P.O.Box 9653, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
Tel: +255-22-2130-770/2131-864
Fax: +255-22-2130-660/2131-864
mailto:akitua@hotmail.com
Africa fooled on Mosquito/Malaria Control? (7)
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Dear AFRO-NETS Members,
I have been reading and following most of the discussions by the
members on different issues. I have followed closely the discus-
sion on mosquito and malaria control but have been overwhelm-
ingly touched by the discussion initiated by Hamisi and the con-
tributions made by Victor Wiketye. I totally agree with them
that we have definitely been fooled but worse enough agreed to
be fooled. We have lived with such a situation for decades now.
But we have to make a "U" turn. This is the right time to do it.
I recently attended a meeting of experts from Joint Malaria Pro-
gram in Kilimanjaro, Tanzania. We had presentations and discus-
sions on wide ranges of issues on malaria. But when discussing
about vector control in Tanzania, I asked the experts to give me
the name of any country in the world which succeeded to eradi-
cate malaria without wide and strategic use of insecticides. I
had taken this question from Bill Nesler who has been posing it
to AFRO-NETS members. I was not surprised that nobody managed to
give me the answer.
I have got no doubts as Hamisi put it, that we Africans have be-
come fools because we don't want to trouble our minds. Victor
has set an example of thinking within our reach. We need now to
wake up, examine our situation and utilize all the facts we al-
ready know. We just need to take evidence based steps since we
have most of the scientific facts we need. More research is
needed... yes, but the urgent step is to utilize the knowledge
we already have to eradicate malaria. I believe this can only be
done with integrated vector control programs.
We will have no excuse if we can't take our destiny into our own
hands. We have to stop our dependency on others for everything,
even for thinking. Why did God give us brains if we can't use
them to solve our own problems?
I agree with Dr Kitua that it is time to take actions. I
strongly support the idea that we should form a small team. The
team should take up the suggestions but also get a list of whis-
tle blowers and dancers to take the dance onto the stage. I also
recommend that Victor should coordinate and compile the list of
volunteers who are willing and ready to participate in such im-
portant activity.
This step is at a country level (Tanzania), why not have such
teams in each country where malaria is menace?
Deus Ishengoma
mailto:dishengoma@nimr.or.tz