Spraying away malaria: How Indoor spraying changed Lives in Nkhatabay
While malaria has been a national health crux in Malawi, Nkhatabay district malaria incident rate has been so terrible.
For example, in 2016, Nkhatabay recorded 1089 cases, against the National Malaria Control programme rating out of 1000 population.
“In terms of malaria incident rate, Nkhatabay was worse as we exceeded the normal rating which measures cases of out 1000 population as we had 1089, it was so bad,” says Godfrey Sibale, Nkhatabay district Malaria Coordinator.
However, with the coming in of the World Vision-Global Fund-supported Indoor Residue Spray (IRS), Nkhatabay district has made great strides in reducing malaria incident rate.
After the first batch of IRS in 2020, the district reduced the incidences to 847 cases. Currently, Nkhatabay is on record as having 422 malaria incident cases and hopes are quite higher to reduce the figure to more than half further, according to Sibale.
“Since IRS started, we have made some good progress as the figures are so promising. From 1089 incidences in 2019, 847 in 2020 to 422 by the end of 2022 is just some good news. We hope to reduce this figure further this year,” says Sibale.
In the district we meet a 50 year old Nalex, a rice, maize and cassava farmer who shares her story relating to malaria infection.
Nalex’s family has been struggling with malaria as his children often got ill, forcing him to spend much money on medication and transportation to the health facility.
Because of IRS, which he has participated in for the past three years, his family no longer suffers from malaria.
“I have been struggling, often spending money to help my children with medication for malaria. But since IRS, my children rarely suffer from Malaria and they now concentrate on their studies while I also concentrate on my farming chores so that I can take care of my nine-member family,” brags Nalex.
Scores of other children in the community now can go to school frequently due to the absence of malaria which impeded their pursuit for education.
14-year-old Blessings is now happy that IRS has made him healthy as he no longer gets sick from Malaria.
The aspiring teacher says he is now geared to making his dream come true as he will no longer worry about malaria making him absent from school.
“Before the sprays, children in this community often fell ill, and we could not go to school often, which made us repeat classes. Since the IRS started, I have been healthy, I no longer get sick. I am so glad IRS restored my health and confidence that I could remain in school to become a teacher,” says the 14-year-old grade seven learner