By Soni Asuelimen
Western countries are once again trying a new antimalarial vaccine in Africa to check the scourge of the devil disease that kills 1,000 people daily in Nigeria.
In Africa, about one million people are killed yearly and we call it “ordinary Malaria.”
I deliberately used the word devil Malaria because devil is a deceiver, fooling us gullible Africans that the highest killer epidemic is ordinary, luring victims to relax resistance.
As health inspector in 1970, I understood mosquito infestation is not an African exclusive plague.
The western nations eradicated mosquito plague and therefore Malaria disease by rigorous fumigation of all habitats of mosquitoes in households through education on hygiene and using chopper planes to spray bushes, mosquito habitats. That’s why it looks as if mosquitoes and malaria are not in U.S. and UK.
In Lagos then we sprayed chemicals on bushes and gutters habouring mosquitoes thus reducing malaria havoc. Then, LGA were in charge, but now financially emasculated by state government.
The devilish nature of malaria is that all attempts in past 40 years to produce a vaccine has failed as the parasites change form, wear protective armour to destroy vaccine effect even before expiry date of trial vaccine. Same with antimalarial tablets, injections.
Sadly, African nations widely and massively ravaged have little or no interest in eradicating the epidemic. Yet, malaria kills more than road accidents, boko insurgency, etc.
Regrettably, our uninformed orthodox doctors disparage traditional herbs, which has been rescuing patients, especially now that about 80 percent imported antimalarial confirmed fake, substantially poison.
The western nations’ pharmaceutical giants show little interest because they believe Africans can’t afford high cost of a vaccine or tablet.
Why should they waste private, valuable research funds of donors to produce malaria vaccine for prodigal people?
The global community in year 2000 held a summit in Abuja to Role Back Malaria with specific targets for countries on what to do.
Till OBJ left power by 2007, nothing was done including the free malaria treatment for kids under five years, pregnant women, all within five years of RBM and for all population thereafter, shortly.
Have you heard any politician campaign to eliminate the biggest scourge or any human rights or rice organisation do so? Or any senator, PMB do so other than go to UK to clean ear, nose?
It means the masses are on their own. The renegade scroundrel politician does not see malaria as an issue, a debilitating disease that destroys internal organs gradually before
death.
Beware, the cup of water in your room or kitchen after three days breeds mosquito.
Asuelimen writes via soniasuelimen@yahoo.com
