World Malaria Day: It’s raining mosquitoes in Dar City

When it is the rainy season in Dar es Salaam, it also “rains” mosquitoes. The little creatures multiply into billions. When you want your peace outside the house, especially in the evenings, there are so many mosquitoes to cause you hell. It is like an army of tiny little things had invaded your home premises.

Sometimes, you want to kick the tiny insects and crush them entirely with bare hands. I usually like to fight the mosquitoes with an electric fly swatter, as insecticide repellants smell so bad for me.

I, like many other citizens, make sure everyone in the household uses mosquito nets, and we make sure the environment around the house does not attract the mosquitoes. Despite all the efforts, you can always find them there.

And once in a while, a family member suffers from malaria, and the tiny insects laugh themselves off after causing us pain. I guess!

If you have ever suffered from severe malaria, you will agree with me that it can easily take a life away. Or, if you have watched a loved one fighting to defeat the disease transmitted by mosquitoes, you know how devastating it can be. Thank God it has medication, and with proper treatment, there is assured healing. Unfortunately, not every Tanzanian can afford to go to the hospital or buy malaria medicine due to lack of money.

Yes, for a number of times in this column, I have written about malaria. And I will do it again today as we reflect on World Malaria Day, which is commemorated on every April 25.

This year’s theme on World Malaria Day is: “Harness innovation to reduce the malaria disease burden and save lives”. Available data indicates that about 93 percent of Tanzania’s mainland population lives in malaria-prone areas.

The government, development partners, and civil society have done a lot in the fight against malaria over the years.

But it seems more needs to be done, that is efforts and funding to be increased. Some of the most commendable efforts include the provision of insecticidal mosquito bed nets to expectant mothers.

When I thought things were getting better, it was getting worse. According to @GlobalFund, global malaria deaths are rising after nearly 20 years of decline. The world has been fighting to have malaria eradicated completely, but to no avail.

The fellowship of nations across the world cannot afford to relent on fighting the killer disease.

Diverse reports indicate that malaria is a huge problem in Sub-Sahara Africa.

In Tanzania, it is still one of the leading causes of death. Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, the former president of Liberia and now a global leader on health issues, says that there is an approved vaccine for malaria.

According to Ms Sirleaf, malaria is largely viewed as a “poor country problem and a poor country disease.” No wonder it had taken decades to develop a vaccine.

The WHO is very clear that malaria is a preventable and treatable disease, yet it continues to have a devastating impact worldwide. Nations across the world need to invest more so as to end the killer disease.

Health Minister Ummy Mwalimu, during the commemoration of World Malaria Day, announced that Tanzania was implementing a five-year (2021-2025) malaria strategic programme.

It aims at reducing malaria transmission from 7.5 percent in 2017 to 3.5 percent in 2025. As the government does its part, we, as the common wananchi, we must also ensure we do our parts.

Let us take all the necessary precautions so that we can beat mosquitoes and prevent infections. The adage prevention is better than cure, is very appropriate for malaria!

Our sad reality is that the main victims of malaria are children and women. Therefore ending malaria would mean so much.