 Interview with Ruben Biebeda Chucha, BIMCP Vector Control Manager
Malaria affects between 300-500 million people each year. Can you share any personal experience you have had with the disease and describe how it is debilitating? I have witnessed on many occasions how debilitating malaria can be. One night back in 1997 after being away from home all day I came back to find my wife flushed with fever. She was burning up and after a series of convulsions, she lost consciousness. All I could think of was to give her a cold bath and hope she would improve. I then decided to rush her to the hospital where she gradually recovered. I am lucky to still have her with me. She had recently given birth to our second child four months previously and we had to take the baby to her in the hospital every day while she recuperated so she could breast feed. I have also witnessed the death of a dear friend of mine’s child who died in his arms. He was convinced that the death was caused by a spiritual attack on him by someone using traditional witchcraft (juju). I also just recently lost a member of my family who was diagnosed with cerebral (severe malaria). In the past I felt that I had to pray and fast so that my children would be healthy and when they had fever it was double praying and fasting. Prior to working for Marathon, did you have any misperceptions about malaria or were there things about the disease that you did not know? As a Christian and an African, I had previously thought that this disease was one of the plagues that God sent to the world to destroy his disobedient children and so it had come to remain, like any other disease that is incurable. It was my firm belief that when there are so many mosquitoes around a house it was because of the plague from the time of Moses and the Israelites. Of course I learned about how mosquitoes carry malaria in school but like many people, I didn’t really believe it. People would talk about malaria as if it were a curse, so when ever they felt sick they would rush to the to herbalists’ homes and churches for a cure. How has life on Bioko Island changed since Marathon introduced its malaria program? Life on Bioko has changed, from what it was pre 2003. Before that time I had continuously seen many small graves in the cemetery being dug in preparation for the tiny bodies that would soon be brought for burial. I can remember seeing them prepare 7 to 10 little graves each day. From past experience the grave diggers knew that would be the number needed on any given day. For those unable to be evacuated once diagnosed with malaria, local doctors would routinely start to prepare the death certificate in anticipation of the inevitable. Thanks to this project, things have changed here on Bioko Island. I have personally visited the local hospitals and reviewed the health registers so I know in my heart that it is a true story…..cases of malaria have dropped. People are hearing the project’s messages and are following the instructions; for the most part they are allowing their houses to be sprayed; they continue to use bednets; they try to maintain their clean surroundings; they are visiting the health centers when they notice the symptoms of malaria ; and they seek medical assistance. Health facilities seem to be better equipped and people don’t have to worry about evacuating their family members ¨just because of malaria.¨ Marathon’s program consists of three interventions, one of which—IRS—involves having sprayers enter employee and community homes. How does Marathon ensure that people are comfortable enough to allow sprayers into their home? I have personally come to understand the intrusive nature of the IRS program and am convinced that without the support of the employees and the community at large, the project would have a difficult time achieving its goals. The Information, Education, Communication (IEC) aspect of the project seeks to ensure that the community is informed effectively and in a timely manner, when and where the SPRAYERS will be at any given time. People are informed of the steps to be taken before and after the IRS activity takes place. They are advised of the possible secondary effects that could occur in the event of non compliance to the instructions. Radio and Television messages have been recorded and transmitted to encourage greater community participation and photonovelas have been produced for those who might not watch TV or listen to the Radio. Handbills or flyers are also produced highlighting the merits of the activity and a special IRS-IEC advance team was also formed to conduct house-to-house visitations, community based talks and presentations using public announcement (PA) systems and hand held megaphones. People have seen not just the mosquito plague reduced, but they have also seen that the insecticide kills other unwelcome pests such as cockroaches, rodents, snakes, etc. and so the desire has been very high for those who want their houses to be free of malaria. Marathon works with UN agencies as well as regional organizations. What are the benefits of this collaboration? The collaborating organizations and partners with whom the project works have come to understand that this is not a one man fight. We have to all join hands and put our minds together to save the innocent lives that have continuously been at high risk all these years. There are economies of scales that are taking place as the various collaborators work at their various levels of expertise and strengths. There is plenty of work to be done here and as we say in Spanish, "Juntos podemos vencer el paludismo" (Together we will conquer malaria). |
