Malaria is a problem in many of the hot or tropical parts of the world. There are different kinds of malaria that is dependent on the type of organism in the body of the affected person. Certain kinds of Malaria can even be fatal if they have not been treated early enough. Prevention of Malaria and avoiding it should be given the greatest priority as it can be easily done.
If everyone concerned cooperates, it can be controlled. All the control measures should be practiced at once because even if one of the control measures fail, the other methods will help to control the disease.
1. Avoid mosquitoes by sleeping underneath a sheet and using a mosquito net. Cover the baby's bed/cradle with mosquito netting or a thin cloth. Use repellents, but the best method of preventing malaria according to a large scale study that has been done in rural India is the use of mosquito nets. Even mosquito nets that have no medicated applications will prevent malaria, but if you dip it in mosquito repellent medication, then the chances of Malaria are nearly nil.
2. Apply mustard oil (or some other local repellent) on the body to prevent mosquito bites. Mosquitoes do not like the smell of he oil on the body and this is what done in many of the remote areas of the world where people are not able to afford costly mosquito repellent creams and sprays.
3. Malaria can be prevented, or its effects greatly reduced, by taking different doses of anti-malaria medicines on a regular schedule. This can be done in certain endemic areas where people regularly suffer from Malaria. Regular medications will help to prevent the disease from occurring on a large scale.
4. Cooperate with the malaria control workers when they come to your village. Tell them if anyone in the family has had fevers, and let them take blood for testing. Also get your house sprayed so that mosquitoes are killed (when spraying, keep all food and water covered).
5. If you suspect malaria, get treatment quickly because the quicker the treatment, better the chances of recovery. After you have been treated, mosquitoes that bite you will not pass malaria on to others.
6. Destroy mosquitoes and their larvae (young). Mosquitoes breed in standing water that is not flowing. Clear ponds, pits, holes that collect water or try to somehow control the mosquitoes from breeding in these waters. Introduce anti-mosquito fish (e.g. guppy) in dams and rivers.
7. Properly dispose off old cans, tires or broken pots so they don't collect water. Drain or put a little oil on pools or marshes where mosquitoes breed (organize children to do this). Cover pots containing drinking water. Fill anything that can collect water with sand or dirt so that water does not collect on them and this will prevent the mosquitoes from breeding and reducing the chances of Malaria.
These are the best methods that can be used to prevent the chances of Malaria from occurring.
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