MADEGE STORY-HOW TO END MALARIA
The government of Tanzania implemented new malaria treatment guidelines requiring the large scale deployment of Coartem a fixed dose artemether/lumefantrine based combination therapy (ACT) popularly known as ALu or dawa mseto in Kiswahili in public health facilities to treat uncomplicated malaria .
Ummy Mwalimu the Mininster for health, Community development, Gender, Eldely and Children said that these new guidelines were implemented several years after the government decided to replace chloroquine (CQ) with sulphadoxine pyrimethamine (SP) as the first line treatment for uncomplicated malaria aimed at improving drug use and therapeutic outcomes in community settings.
Dr Edward Lwidiko from Muhimbili National Hospital said documenting community level understandings and interpretations of ALu's efficacy and side effects is important for several reasons such as the deployment of ACT on large scale marks a major shift in global discourses on malaria control, mainly because ACT is a very expensive therapy that is unsustainable in Tanzania which is among the poor Countries.
There is little information on the community level perceptions of ALu after the Tanzanian government introduced it on a large scale. Understanding how cultural perceptions influence decisions regarding the use and consumption of anti-malarials, both old and new can provide valuable insights into how the delivery of newer treatment regimens can be better managed.
Determining the efficacy and side effects of anti-malarials is a complex task, both in biomedical and behavioural terms. This is especially true when the patients are young children who have been treated with anti malarials, and mothers do the reporting on their children's behalf.