Learning about malaria in schools

Learning about malaria in schools -~ C!l ~ The life-cycles of the malaria parasite and the mosquito make excellent themes for a natural science course (see pages 16 and 17). They should also form an important part of health education in school and out of school, parti- cularly in areas where malaria is rife. In most countries, educational materials such as films, filmstrips, posters, flannelgraphs and booklets are available. They can help you in preparing interesting learning- teaching sessions. Ask your min- istry of education, ministry of health, or the local education or health authorities to help you to obtain such materials. Malaria personnel or other health workers in your area might be willing to take part in the teaching. For example, they can help to identify mosquito larvae in ponds or irrigation ditches; they can col- lect larvae and bring them to the classroom for information-or bet- ter still, join in an outing with the pupils to search for larvae. They can point out where mosquitos live and breed, and how to distinguish between the mosquitos that trans- mit malaria and those that do not. They can demonstrate how to take a blood sample and make a slide for microscopic examination, and how to examine the slide under the microscope to find out if it contains malaria parasites. Here are some suggestions for what could be discussed at different grades in school: In the first three grades you might deal with the following themes: 1 . The word "malaria" and the local name for it. 2 . Persons with malaria have muscle pains, chills and fever. 3. Malaria is carried from the sick to the well person by certain kinds of mosquitos. 4. Walls can be sprayed with chemicals to kill anopheles mos- quitos. They do not kill all insects. £ ~- ·f ~ 5. Use of bednets to protect against mosquito bites. 6. Reporting fever cases to the health worker at an early stage, so that malaria can be treated. 7 . People should help the government in every way they can to kill anopheles mosquitos and to put an end to malaria. In grades four, five and six, the suggested learning objectives may be: 1. To learn what happens when you have malaria. 2. To learn what causes malaria (the malaria parasite). 3. To learn how malaria is spread (how the parasite gets in the mos- quito and how it is passed on to humans). 4. To learn how malaria may be controlled or wiped out. 5. To learn what families and the community can do to help in con- trolling malaria. At secondary level it is possible to go into much more detail both about the life-cycles of the malaria parasite and of the mosquito. Different strategies for the control of disease can be studied, as well Some other ways to protect yourself against mosquito bites -Sleep in rooms whose win- dows and other openings are properlv screened. - Use anti-flv spravs containing pvrethroid insecticides to kill anv mosquitos that mav have entered the room in spite of screening, or mav have got under the bednet. -After sunset. wear sufficient clothing when vou are in the open air to protect the bodv. arms, and legs from mosquito bites (long sleeves and long trousers or skirts). - Applv insect repellent on those parts of the bodv that are not covered bv clothing. -Smouldering mosquito coils which offer protection for up to six to eight hours are popu- lar and inexpensive. Thev are most effective indoors and in the evenings. Mosquito nets come in different sizes and shapes. Here is one specially made for babies. as its social and economic effects on the community. Teaching methods will be chosen by the teacher, and the students shou Id be actively involved. The health educator can help the teacher to select suitable activities and teaching materials. The children can help to clean up the school and surroundings to remove mosquito breeding places. Community leaders, health workers, teachers and pupils could together monitor the school and surroundings to find possible mos- quito breeding places and eliminate them. In one country a study made among teachers and students found that the questions most fre- quently asked about malaria were: a. Do we have malaria here? b. What causes malaria? c. How can you tell if a person has malaria? d. How do you cure malaria? e. What do I do if I have malaria? f . Do all mosquitos carry the disease? g. Where do mosquitos live? h. How do you kill mosquitos? i. Do mosquitos carry other diseases? j. Do other countries have malaria? The teachers' role in the early detection of malaria In areas with malaria, teachers can play an important role by detecting cases of fever among pupils and referring them to the health worker, who can then take the necessary action. Teachers can also monitor how often students are absent and for how long, and inform the health centre when children are absent more frequently or for longer periods than usual. Malaria can only be controlled if everyone participates in the fight. Why not contact the staff in your nearest health centre or hospital to discuss what you can do together to teach schoolchildren about malaria and become partners in controlling the disease? • 23