Many cases of malaria infection result from ignorance and misconception among sufferers, especially among rural community dwellers. Some common misconceptions include the belief that eating dog meat can cure malaria.

Friday Okafor, from Okijaniha Local Government Area of Anambra State, who cooks and sells dog meat in Umuawo, a community in Oshimili Local Government Area of Delta State, proudly touts his conviction that eating sauce made with dog meat can cure malaria. This middle-aged man, who has been in the business since 1999, kills and prepares two dogs for sale everyday. His customers sold on his culinary abilities and their expectation that dog meat was a therapy for malaria.

“Eating dog meat cooked with lemon grass, mint leave and some other spices certainly cures malaria,” said Mr Okafor. “Some of my customers come here to seek cure for their malaria. When they eat the dog meat and drink the water [sauce] on a regular basis, they get cured of their malaria. The water of dog is part of human being’s water. Dog is part of human being.”

No need to ask the food vendor about the propriety of eating a close relative, then.

But Mr. Okafor, who alleged that none of his four children and himself had succumbed to malaria in a very long due to regular consumption of dog meat, however did not doubt the fact that exposure to mosquito bite causes malaria, just as he believes that stagnant water could be a breeding ground for mosquitoes.

Umuawo itself is a densely populated community of about 250,000 people which serves as a market, a beach and a major gateway to neighbouring communities. Huge mounds of refuse and unkempt environment can be said to be a defining characteristics of this sprawling community.

The only source of potable water appears to be rain water, as residents have fouled the Niger River that flows through the community and also serves as place for doing their laundry and cleaning slaughtered animals.

Although a sizable number of the people of the community patronise Mr Okafor, a medical doctor who spoke on the condition that his name was not mentioned in print said there was no scientific proof to show that eating sauce made with dog meat would cure malaria.

“If any relief comes to a malaria patient after drinking sauce made from dog meat, it must be the herbs like lemon grass, mint leaf and others like that are added to it,” he said. “They all contain some medicinal value.”

Living with refuse

A visual survey of the Umuawo area shows a pool of stagnant water close to the refuse dump, which is about 30 metres from the police station. The mammoth dump, which stretches for about 300 metres, is tucked between the popular Ogbe-Orie market and the community abattoir on the bank of the River Niger.

A 75-year-old community leader, Emmanuel Nwachukwu, told NEXT that the community has made several efforts to get local and state officials to clear the refuse heap. He pointed out that the dumpsite had remained a health hazard to residents of the community, and had cost them time and money treating several bouts of malaria attacks, which in essence have resulted to economic loss.

Another resident, Kingsley Ochia, decried the poor environmental condition of the community and the attitude of residents towards keeping their environment clean. He said this had increased the rapid reproduction of mosquitoes in the area.

“I use ‘Ota piapia’ and mosquito coils to kill the mosquitoes,” he said. He, however, said it was regrettable that the use of this chemical has negatively affected the health of his children as they suffer frequent nasal congestion and cough.

The only solace for Mr. Ochia was the local health centre at Ogbe-Orie, where he said he seeks remedy whenever his children suffer from malaria attack.

Josephine Alert, a petty trader whose shop is located by the entrance to the refuse dump, said the heap has always given her a nightmare as mosquitoes and other creeping insects have almost taken over her store. She complained of incessant malaria attacks; but she is also a proud owner of two treated mosquito nets which were freely given to her during one of her frequent visits to the hospital.

She said it was lamentable that the government of Delta State stopped the process of evacuation of the refuse it recently embarked upon, thereby dashing the hope of the residents for a clean environment.

Investigations revealed that evacuation of the Umuawo refuse heap was suspended by the state government when the earth-moving equipment used for the evacuation was moved to the new Asaba airport.

“It is our hope that Delta State government will, as a matter of urgency, evacuate the mountain of refuse at Umuawo before an epidemic of malaria and other diseases break out,” said Mr Nwachukwu.

A national scourge

The prevalence of malaria in Nigeria has become a major source of concern to the government, donor agencies and citizens. Of about 500 million global cases reported annually, Nigeria contributes about 134 million. This means only a tiny fragment of the population of 150 million could be said to be free from malaria attack.

Studies show that children under five years of age and pregnant women are the most vulnerable group; with close to 300,000 children dying every year in Nigeria, which represents about 28 percent of total deaths associated with malaria in Africa. Similarly, about seven in 10 pregnant women in Nigeria suffer from malaria each year, while 11 percent deaths occur during pregnancy due to the disease.

Worse, there is this erroneous allegation that the use of mosquito nets could lead to death.

But Chioma Amaja, Director of Integrated Vector Management (IVM) of the National Malaria Control Programme (NMCPN), whose consistent campaign for the control of malaria over the years has earned her the nickname “Mama Malaria”, described such rumours as untrue and sheer mischief.

A total of 35.7 million of the nets are said to have been distributed by NMCPN in 22 states between December 2009 and April 2011.

Mrs. Amaja, who said a proper and regular use of nets would create a barrier between man and mosquitoes, thereby help to save lives, however cautioned against improper use of the nets, including the use of the nets for fishing.

“If more people in the house use nets, they will be protected, and if more people in the community use their nets, mosquitoes will be driven away to other places,” she said. “Once you get the nets, you air it for 24 hours in a shaded place. It could be inside the room, but don’t sleep under it until after airing it for 24 hours to allow the insecticide to be expelled, after which you can now spread it over the sleeping place.”

Godwin Ntadom, another official of NMCPN, described malaria as a complex and deadly disease with a new case contacted every 10 seconds and two deaths per minute.

He said the burden of malaria includes negative social and economic implications, such as absenteeism from offices, farms, markets and schools; and could seriously affect tourism in Nigeria. He, however, called on Nigerians to urgently embrace anti-malaria programmes.

“Because of the health burden that malaria imposes on its victims, people in non-malaria areas may not be eager to travel to the malaria-prone areas thereby inhibiting the flow of knowledge, skills and cross-fertilisation of ideas,” he said.

http://234next.com/csp/cms/sites/Next/Home/5740809-146/story.csp

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