How Effective Are Malaria Eradication Strategies in Africa?

Abstract

In Africa, malaria has continued to be a big dilemma and a primary cause of mortality and morbidity, especially among children under the age of 5, pregnant women, and immunocompromised people (eg, people infected with HIV/AIDS). Despite global efforts in the management and eradication of malaria, African countries have fallen behind due to many factors. However, the availability of preventative methods such as long-lasting insecticide-treated bed nets (LLINs), insecticide-treated nets (ITNs), and indoor residual spraying (IRS) has been instrumental toward eradicating malaria in Africa. While other countries throughout the world have managed to eradicate malaria, doubts arise in Africa due to the effectiveness of present measures. Consequently, this study evaluates malaria eradication strategies in Africa, and the main objective of this study is to detect if eradication strategies such as ITN and INS methods are reducing the rate of malaria. A literature search was conducted on scientific databases such as NCBI, Google scholar, and PubMed, and strict inclusion exclusion criteria were applied in the filtration process of publications to have the best studies to conduct this project. Outcomes of the search were use of ITN/LLIN vs nonuse. Seven papers were identified and analyzed. Three groups were identified (control, LLIN, and ITN). The mean value for the control group is 49.69%. The participants in the LLIN group had a mean infection rate of 47.97%, and the ITN group had an infection rate of 23.12%. During the duration of the study, these two groups were using the preventative method. This showed that LLIN and ITN use reduces malaria infection, but according to results obtained, ITN reduced malaria infection more than LLIN. Preventative methods to reduce malaria infection are important, and the use of LLIN and ITN shows preventative strategies in Africa.