This manual on the Eldis site published by OXFAM provides guidance to public health promoters, water and sanitation engineers, project co-ordinators and managers who are involved in initiating a malaria control projects in humanitarian situations.
The first part of the manual provides a brief background explaining the details of the disease aetiology, control, treatment and prevention. It highlights why it is important to get involved in malaria control, explains what malaria and malaria control are, as well as Oxfam's experience in malaria control.
It recommends that early diagnosis, treatment and community education are the basic responses that should be included in all malaria control programmes. The manual discusses the barriers faced by people in identification of malarial parasites and discusses the importance of community mobilisation and education, and the prevention and control methods that can be used to control the spread of the epidemic in the community. It highlights the four key elements of malaria control:
The manual informs that malaria is a complex disease and there is a significant lack of information and research about malaria control methods in emergency situations. The incidence of malaria can be affected by many variables and monitoring the impact of the control method using disease indicators is therefore difficult. It recommends looking at Parasite Prevalence, Case Control Studies, and qualitative Data studies to evaluate the impact of control methods on disease progression.
In terms of intervention, the publication argues that malaria control is a specialist activity that should be coordinated through the general health services and that agencies must ensure that they collaborate with these health agencies if they intend to become involved in malaria control. It also describes the Oxfam Malaria Control Strategy.
The manual is divided ino the following sections:
Download the manual from here