Malaria a national disaster, Zanzibar showing the way

is credited with having helped Zanzibar to cut the prevalence of malaria from 40 per cent in 2005 to as low as less than one per cent a short eight years later.

Other interventions cited include the use of insect-treated mosquito nets, proper diagnosis and undergoing medication as prescribed by health experts.

Come 2013, the Zanzibar Malaria Control Programme (ZMCP) appeared all but convinced that progress was encouraging enough for the world to expect the Isles to not have even a single case of locally acquired of the killer disease by this year.

The year is still in its infancy and anything can happen, but a recent random survey in parts of metropolitan Zanzibar provides little evidence that the dream remains hopelessly remote – that is, that hitting the target by the projected deadline is highly unlikely.

Officials would not confirm or deny it, all right, but there is every indication that there are now a lot more mosquitoes in the municipality than obtained during what could be described as the peak of the Isles’ success in reining in mosquitoes and therefore reducing the incidence and prevalence of malaria and other vector-borne diseases.

IRIN, a news agency that focuses on humanitarian stories in regions often forgotten, under-reported, misunderstood or ignored, reported in early 2010 that the gains Zanzibar had made in combating malaria were at risk.

It was none other than the head of ZMCP’s diagnostic unit who admitted as much, stating: “Despite the achievements in reducing malaria, a lack of funds for awareness-raising, indoor residual spraying and surveillance, is a challenge. Also, we have a problem with people’s resistance to behavioural change, particularly in keeping the environment clean and in the use of mosquito nets.”

Unless urgent measures are taken to build on the 1970s’ internationally applauded progress Zanzibar had registered in rolling back, and occasionally thereafter, we may witness these fears confirmed.

That would be disastrous, to say the least, as this is a disease known to have immense capacity to cause untold havoc whenever there are slip-ups in efforts to implement precautionary measures.

In the circumstances, we hope to see enhanced levels of vigilance, surveillance, monitoring, evaluation and response across the Isles. This would be with a view to making sure that no one uses financial constraints, say, to justify reluctance or refusal to undergo malaria testing and treatment.

Such behaviour would definitely increase the risk of slipping back, and with it completely unnecessary consequences such as further transmission and deaths.

Experts see having proper strategies and joining hands in sustaining control measures as the easiest and most cost-effective way to prevent malaria from striking even with greater vengeance.

But, as will have been learnt from one of the front-page news stories in this issue of The Guardian, the Zanzibar government has good news for the Isles, Tanzania and the world. And it is that it is embarking on a fresh drive to keep malaria at bay.

However, the news will make much more sense if it jolts the rest of Tanzania into following suit – with concrete action. The reason for this is simple: malaria is endemic in many parts of the country, with Zanzibar not the worst hit.