Local Programs Take a Bite out of Malaria
| Autor: | Clive Shiff, Phil Thuma |
|---|---|
| Rok vydání: | 2010 |
| Předmět: | |
| Zdroj: | Science. 329:900-900 |
| ISSN: | 1095-9203 0036-8075 |
| DOI: | 10.1126/science.329.5994.900-a |
| Popis: | [Figure][1] CREDIT: JAMES GATHANY/CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL AND PREVENTION The 14 May special section on Tuberculosis and Malaria (p. [841][2]) did not sufficiently emphasize the development and support of health infrastructure in endemic areas. There is a reason that Zambia is doing well whereas its neighbors have made little progress with malaria. In Zambia, the Ministry of Health is functional and organized. From 1950 until 2000, Zimbabwe also had a successful malaria control operation, which until recently was staffed and run by local scientists operating in a well-managed health system. Malaria can be controlled, but to do so we must train local scientists and establish careers for them within these health services. National governments, with the help of the World Health Organization and others, must foster and encourage the establishment of local scientists. Local universities need assistance in developing degree programs to train epidemiologists, biologists, and health managers to take the lead in running and managing the control operations. To maximize the effect of these programs, we must rapidly collect and process data. Interventions can then be targeted and the disease reduced to smaller and smaller foci. We hope that an organized, locally supported health system can restrict malaria until it is no longer of major public health importance. However, we must remain vigilant: As Zimbabwe has shown, malaria will return with a vengeance if the health system deteriorates. [1]: pending:yes [2]: /lookup/doi/10.1126/science.328.5980.841 |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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