Mentor Initiative Continues to Battle Malaria
Testing for Malaria in Banda Aceh AmeriCares has now committed to continue working with MENTOR in Indonesia for another 18-month period, making use of their expertise in treating those afflicted with malaria, as well as special training in home-spraying techniques to fend off mosquitoes. During AmeriCares tsunami response, MENTOR and the Indonesian Ministry of Health received from AmeriCares and delivered approximately 500,000 rapid diagnostic tests and enough medicines to treat 30,000 people. Just 10 days after delivering these supplies, AmeriCares learned from MENTOR that 130 people had been diagnosed with a virulent form of malaria—which was caught in time—and all of them had begun treatment. Thanks to the outpouring of aid from donors, AmeriCares in-kind contributions to MENTOR enabled the quick implementation of essential malaria control in the immediate and most desperate post-tsunami period. This ensured that the essential ongoing supplies were available througout the emergency program phase.
Richard Allan, director of the MENTOR initiative, noted that while the effective but mild insecticide, which is harmless to humans, does prevent mosquitoes from entering the house, MENTOR is dedicated to expanding support in a practical way to reinforce the capacity of Non-governmental Organizations, the UN and national partners working in emergencies and to develop key operational research areas for disease control tools and strategies in emergencies. |
Residents are delighted that it keeps out all the other insect pests as well. Areas in which the infrastructure has been compromised or destroyed are prime targets for malaria to develop. In Banda Aceh, MENTOR intends to continue controlling mosquito breeding grounds, larvaciding water supplies, and spraying houses, a technique that can keep a home safe for two years or more with slow-release insect repellent.