MALARIA

This drama may not be very popular with the conventional western medicine crowd. The push for mosquito net use is big with them. (Cynical Rachel wonders, “Who is the manufacturer who is profiting from this push?”) The effectiveness of nets is pathetic.

First of all, the ones who suffer with malaria the most are the poor. They sleep on mats or bed platforms that are made of slats. These are very rough and rip the nets immediately.

Secondly, as the drama points out, the big social time is in the early evening when the mosquitoes are thick. No one can afford insect repellent. And even if you can, it is difficult to use it consistently.

Thirdly, no one has screens on the windows or screen doors. Who can afford that? Everyone sits outside.

The real problem causing malaria is poverty. The lifestyle it breeds (I use that word deliberately—pun intended) means malaria and other diseases are inevitable. Ignorance is another issue, but even this family who has the knowledge of the real cause of malaria struggles to deal with it.

The most effective deterrent to malaria is spraying of an insecticide on the interior of houses. There is now a wide range of poisons that can be used with this. It takes a lot of community education to get people on board with this. Again poverty undermines even the best program, as mud walls absorb many insecticides and in some cases neutralize them.

In the drama, the family understands where malaria comes from. Grandfather does not. They are dealing with it as best they can, which leaves a lot to be desired. I try to keep the dramas real to life, often with great sorrow in my heart.