Malaria Matters

Wow...long time right?

So much has happened since I've last posted.  I'm now a 3rd year extendee.  I've moved closer to the capital.  I've grown and changed immensely as a person.  Mozambique has become my home.

I'm also now the National Malaria Activities Coordinator for Peace Corps' Stomping Out Malaria in Africa Initiative.  Which is the reason for this post.

I've been in this country for almost 3 years (WHOA!).  Before I came here, the word "malaria" hardly had a meaning to me.  I knew nothing about it.  But since living here, I've seen numerous people sick with malaria, known people who have died from malaria, know people who dont really care about malaria, have even gotten malaria myself, and I now work to coordinate all volunteer activities related to malaria.  This disease has now become a part of my daily life. 

The thing about malaria is that it isnt necessarily this big, huge scary disease that means an automatic death sentence, like some scary ancient plague.  Yeah, it is the same disease that killed Alexander the Great, Genghis Khan and continues to kill just under 800,000 people per year worldwide.  In Moz, it is the leading cause of death of children under 5 and is the #1 reason for hospital visits.  BUT--thanks to modern medicine, it is preventable and treatable.  Mosquito nets save lives. Actually - TREATED mosquito nets save lives.  I slept under a non-treated net and mosquitoes bit me though the net.  A week later I had a fever of 104.  Luckily, there are Rapid Diagnostic Tests (which quickly diagnosed my malaria) and Coartem (a combination therapy treatment where you take like 24 pills over 3 days to get rid of the parasites having a party in your bloodstream/liver).  Those things saved my life.

Anyway, the issue with malaria is getting people to sleep under nets, to realize that malaria is really a big deal (a lot of times, people get it and think it's just a way of life.  Some people build up an "immunity" so their symptoms aren't as pronounced and they go to the hospital, get the treatment and are back on their feet the next day), to get tested at the FIRST sign of malaria infection and to take all of their treatment and don't stop when they start to feel better.  That's where Peace Corps comes in.  Peace Corps Volunteers work at the community level, and have direct access to the people.  Since we're often trusted community members, we can easily share information and encourage behavior change. We can rally community leaders to encourage members to stop using nets to fish and to start sleeping under them.  We can accompany our neighbors to the hospital when they have a fever to get a test done.  We can help explain how to properly take medication, because many times hospitals don't explain things in a way that people understand.  So involving Peace Corps Volunteers in the fight against malaria in Africa is ideal.  And that's what is so great about the Stomp Out Malaria initiative. It doesnt ALWAYS work, but getting people to change their habits is never easy.  TRYING is always better than doing nothing.

How can the average American help?  Well, being informed is a start!  Support our projects, Like our facebook page, follow the blogs and the twitter, stay aware of whats happening with Stomp Out Malaria.  Awareness is the first step!

How will you stomp out malaria in 2013?