KCM ‘mines’malaria out of Copperbelt townsODAY, we publish stories on the success of Tthe Konkola Copper

Mines (KCM) malaria control programme in the Copperbelt town of Chingola, as well as a story on the benefits of public, p r i v a t e a n d n o n p r o f i t partnerships in Solwezi. The s t o r i e s h i g h l i g h t b o t h strategies and incentives that are part of beating this disease.

After the mining company undertook a holistic approach that involved in-door residual spraying, the distribution of insecticide-treated mosquito nets, parasite control and community-based advocacy, the community surrounding the company has seen no deaths from malaria for the last five years - from 16 deaths in a population of 1,000 for Chililabombwe, and seven in a population of 1,000 for Chingola in the year 2000.

This achievement s h o u l d b e c o m m e n d e d , especially as malaria has been the leading cause of death and a leading contributor to economic hardship in Zambia for many years. Overall, the country has recorded notable p r o g r e s s t o w a r d s t h e eradication of the tropical disease, and these strides have not gone unnoticed by the international community.

It is gratifying that the private sector has been taking a keen interest in the nation’s fight against malaria, a n d w e w o u l d l i k e t o encourage those who are still undecided to join the cause. In the case of KCM, the company has seen the benefits of its eight-year malaria control programme, as Dr Mieke Mulenga, medical services manager, has attested in one of the stories we are carrying today.

KCM is not the only company to see the economic benefit to tackling a disease that undermines its workforce. Agricultural producers have long seen the benefit of making sure workers’ quarters are sprayed to kill mosquitoes. They are doing the right thing, and it also makes good business sense.But the message implied in these activities should not be lost on any of us. Creating a malaria-free Zambia is not only a right and humane goal, but one that is critical to the development of this country.

Companies will have nothing to lose, but everything to gain, by investing in the protection of their workers from malaria. By protecting their workforces from this potential killer, they will be protecting their investment. By the same token, each of us who plays a ro le – in contro l l ing mosqui toes , avoiding exposure , and managing the disease properly and promptly when it strikes - will be playing a role in contributing towards building a s t r o n g e r a n d m o r e prosperous nation.

KCM has shown that it is possible to reduce the number of deaths in every 1,000 people to zero, and with the participation of the corporate world, households, communities and religious bodies, Zambia could be on the road to achieving the status of a malaria-free country by 2015. The benefits of that are obvious.

COMMENT

MALARIA cases are on the decline on the Copperbelt.

By CHARLES CHISALA ANY Zambians are familiar with the sight and buzz of mosquitoes, for there are swarms of them in most residential Mareas. However, the insect has become an endangered species in

Chingola and Chililabombwe, where Konkola Copper Mines (KCM) has been carrying out intensive annual in-door residual spraying under the Malaria Control Programme to protect its employees and their families from the disease.

This became clear when a team from the Ndola-based Tropical Diseases Research Centre, one of the partners in the programme, travelled to Chingola to collect mosquitoes for research, according to KCM zonal manager for public health and malaria control Benson Chingwele.

“We sent out our teams of spray operators to capture mosquitoes, but each day, they came back empty-handed as they could not find any. We had to elicit the help of residents, and we only received one mosquito from the outskirts of the town, after an intense two-week hunt,” Mr Chingwele said.

III, World Vision and several other partners with the aim of reaching everyone in the district.

World Vision is already working, he said, in the Musele development area where it has donated goods and bicycles to help implement malaria programmes at the grassroots effectively.

Lumwana Mine has also helped in reducing the disease incidence in the district by setting up a workers’ malaria fund, he said.

Proceeds from the fund have been used to buy mosquito nets and chlorinate drinking water in the areas surrounding the mining area.

The Lumwana Workers Fund also sponsors a drama group that goes round the villages to raise

OMBA Munengu is one awareness on malaria, according to of the 13,800 people of Dr. Nguni.WSolwezi district, North- In addition, Kansanshi Mine

Western Province, to have enjoyed has been fumigating households in the protection of an insecticide- the Kansanshi Golf Estate, he said.treated bed net in recent years. Since 2006, malaria parasite

“I am sure I will not visit the prevalence in children has been clinic for malaria treatment as I used reduced by 50 per cent, while two-to do in the past,” she said. thirds of Solwezi’s households are

As in many parts of the now covered with at least one country, malaria has been a major treated net or a recent in-door cause of illness and death in this spraying.booming mining town. However, in More than 80 per cent of the last three to four years, Solwezi pregnant women received at least and many other districts have made one dose of preventive medicine and significant progress in the fight any pregnant woman seeking against the disease thanks to the prenatal care at a public clinic can n a t i o n w i d e s c a l e - u p o f now receive an insecticide-treated interventions. net for herself and for any child

“We have managed to bring under five living with her, Dr. Nguni down the disease incidence from said.498 in a population of 1,000 in 2001 Still, recently diagnosed to only 215 in the same population in patients underscored the need for 2008,” said Dr Harrison Nguni, the continuing and comprehensive District Health Director. efforts.

He said his team is working “I feel pain all over my body, with the Health Communication especially in the joints,” says Partnership (HCP) Zambia to build Josephine Mushala, an expectant capacities of the neighbourhood mother who has been receiving health committees. malaria treatment from Solwezi

Last year, he said, the district General Hospital. Josephine, a civil managed to protect 66,000 people servant, said she does not know how from malaria using timely in-door she contracted malaria, but adds that residual spraying. she however has never used a

Alongside the use of treated mosquito net to protect herself bed nets, the other main plank of against mosquito bites.Solwezi’s battle against malaria is She attributed the presence of the use of Artemisinin-based mosquitoes in Solwezi to the combination therapy commonly booming construction industry in known as Coartem. this mining town.

“The effective policy of anti- “A lot of people are digging malaria treatment to ACTs, and the holes in the ground to get soils to improved diagnostic capabilities make building blocks. They are have helped achieve good results,” leaving holes in the ground and Dr Nguni said. these become breeding grounds for

He said malaria task forces mosquitoes,” she complained.have also helped as partners in the Harrison Zaza, a father of collaborative effort understand their three children, says his home only respective roles in the fight against has one mosquito net, which he uses.the disease. Seated on a bench waiting for

Solwezi is one of the pilot his wife and his three -year -old d i s t r i c t s tha t have t r a ined daughter to receive treatment community-based health volunteers following a diagnosis that has with the help of the Churches Health confirmed they both have malaria, Association of Zambia (CHAZ), Dr Mr Zaza suggests that the Ministry Nguni said. of Health should consider buying

He said next year, the DHMT each member of a family a mosquito will network with Corridors of Hope net.

By CHARLES CHISALA work because they have seen the were to be conducted each year to period for malaria (January-L A U D I N A M u t u n a , benefits,” Ms Mutuna said. determine the communities’ February). The spraying covered occupant of house number Chewe Kansankala, of house perception of malaria, knowledge the same areas where the survey C9 Luangwa Street in number 42 Fourth Street in high- about its transmission and use of had been conducted - Chingola,

Chingola’s low-cost Nchanga cost Nchanga South Township, protective measures. Chililabombwe and later extended North Township, stands outside echoes her support. “Before they KCM zonal manager for to Nampundwe, a rural community her home surrounded by three sprayed,” he said, “we used to have public health and malaria control west of Lusaka. Selected houses in healthy-looking children to a lot of mosquitoes. But it takes Benson Chingwele explained that Kitwe and Kalulushi were also welcome her visitors. She is the months to see just one now.” targeted areas were staked out with sprayed.head of a household of seven, T h e t w o f a m i l i e s a r e a 1 0 - k i l o m e t r e r a d i u s i n Mr Chingwele said months including three children aged beneficiaries of the KCM Malaria Chililabombwe, Chingola and after the spraying, data revealed below 12 years. Control Programme, which has Nampundwe, west of Lusaka. inspiring results. “When we later

Keeping them all healthy drastically reduced the cases of the Nurses were trained and sent into did another survey, we found that could be a full-time job in itself, disease in the company’s operation these areas to take random blood malaria cases had come down in all but one, she said, that has gotten sites. KCM Malaria Control samples from people. A total of the areas we had sprayed,” he said.easier lately. programme manager Paul Banda 200 households were covered, Mr Banda concurs with him.

“We have not had any illness said as a result of the intervention, with 106 people being tested for He said, “The results were quite caused by malaria since November the company managed to maintain the malaria parasites using a rapid encouraging. There was a 71 per last year, when our house was malaria deaths at zero for the last malaria test and blood slides. Each cent decrease in malaria cases from sprayed by people from KCM,” five years, from 16 deaths in a of these teams comprised equal January 2008 to December 2008 she said. “This year, we have seen p o p u l a t i o n o f 1 , 0 0 0 f o r numbers of nurses from KCM and from 6,522 cases in the year 2000 only three mosquitoes, outside the Chililabombwe, and seven in a the government to create harmony. to 240 in 2008.”house.” population of 1,000 for Chingola “Blood specimens were To ensure credibility of

After seeing for herself the in the year 2000. collected after obtaining written information, KCM medical benefits of in-door residual KCM has been using multiple c o n s e n t f r o m p r o g r a m m e institutions – hospitals and clinics spraying, Ms Mutuna resolved to strategies of in-door residual participants. If, during the survey, – only report proven (blood test) help other families see the spraying, insecticide-treated bed someone was found positive, they cases as malaria cases and the importance of having their homes nets , parasi te control and were immediately put on treatment public health department follows sprayed as well. So, she joined the grassroots advocacy. or referred to hospital. This up all the cases to establish the KCM Malaria Control Programme And the first step was to gather contributed to wide acceptance source of infection.by training as a community as much intelligence about the within the community as the LARVICIDINGeducator in 2006. enemy as possible before striking. treatment served as an incentive to Another strategy was the

“I’m one of those who have This operation began with a the locals,” Mr Chingwele said. systematic destruction of mosquito flow freely. Mosquitoes breed in the rapid test or blood slide.been going round, door-to-door, mobilisation of the community. He said the Ndola-based larvae, which involved the stagnant water. This is known as TREATMENTexplaining to people why it is SURVEY Tropical Diseases Research Centre spraying of open water bodies on canalisation. On treatment, both Mr Banda important to allow KCM to spray Mr Banda said before the (TDRC) also carried out a survey proven mosquito breeding sites, One of the spray operators, and Dr Mulenga said malaria cases their homes. At first they used to actual spraying began, parasite on the types of malaria vector identified and mapped out by an Mwema Kabambi, said he is proud are treated according to treatment refuse, but they are now gladly prevalence as well as knowledge, (mosquito) commonly found in the entomologist from the Malaria to be associated with the protocols developed by KCM in allowing spraying teams to do their attitudes and practices surveys programme areas, and their Research Council of South Africa. programme. line with national guidelines

susceptibility to the insecticide to This was reinforced with “When I heard that KCM is distributed by the Ministry of be used in the spraying. c o n t i n u o u s t r a d i t i o n a l looking for people to work as Health.

IN-DOOR RESIDUAL environmental control measures spray operators, I said to myself, NETSSPRAYING such as the drainage of dambos and ‘this is my chance to kill those To consolidate the gains of the

After the parasite survey had eradication of undergrowth and mosquitoes for the suffering they in -door r e s idua l sp ray ing been completed, the wheels of the reeds in the vicinity of water have caused to my family’. I am campaign and the other strategies, in-door residual spraying drive bodies. satisfied now because I have Mr Banda reported that 8, 500 were cranked into motion. Mr Mr Chingwele said after the killed millions of them in the insecticide-treated mosquito nets Chingwele recalled that the spraying was completed, the 2,000 houses I have sprayed. I am were distributed in the programme campaign started with the spray operators were deployed to happy that I have contributed to areas. This was also meant to help recruitment and training of spray identify ‘hot spots’ where there the success of the malaria those who might travel to areas not operators, who would serve as the were mosquito pupa and larvae. programme, and I would like to reached by the programme, where foot soldiers. “We recruited 73 “The spray operators would, apart see the disease completely wiped parasite-carrying mosquitoes spray operators from within the from killing them, ‘harvest’ out,” he said. might be present.community to ensure acceptance, (capture) the larvae and take them DIAGNOSIS And running across all these and they underwent training for 21 to the programme office, where Besides the above measures, s t r a t eg ies i s an on-go ing days,” he said. they were hatched and sent to Mr Banda reported that medical information, education and

According to the latest report South Africa for identification. management has also rendered a communication (IEC) campaign compiled by Mr Banda, the CANALISATION notable push to the programme. involving the distribution of spraying campaign using residual To disrupt the mosquitoes’ He said patients presenting at any literature, public address system insecticides was done from mid- breeding, teams were sent to open of the mine health facilities with a n d c o m m u n i t y d r a m a October to December 2008, just up dambos, pools, drains and symptoms suggestive of malaria implemen ted th rough 125 before the peak transmission marshlands to allow the water to have their blood tested either by community educators.

Right forces, ammo deployed against malaria

Solwezi turns

heat on malaria

Mosquito faces extinction

COMMUNITY educator Claudina Mutuna with her family at her Chingola home.

MALARIA control sprayer Mwema Kabambi.

Monday October 19, 2009lZambia Daily Mail