WHO

Although India had some successes in controlling malaria from the time of independence, it still faces a substantial socio-economic burden from this disease. This paper presents a case study of a highly endemic primary health centre with an annual parasite incidence of 30.9 in the tribal regions of Andhra Pradesh. It reviews the various operations involved in vector control methods like bed nets, insecticide spraying and anti-larval operations. Based on the data available with the health functionaries and household level surveys, it makes operational suggestions to improve the efficacy of control measures. It finds that the current focus is heavily skewed towards surveillance for malaria-affected patients with inadequate attention for vector control methods of malaria prevention. Ensuring the adoption of vector control methods by the community will yield rich dividends in curtailing the malarial transmission process.

Over the last few years the overwhelmingly techno-managerial approach of the WHO to public health has stalled the continuing gains being made especially in countries like India. With the current director-general of the WHO due to step down, is there likely to be a revival of the Alma Ata objectives?