Malawi Village Gets Award for Fighting Malaria Infection and Deaths

MACHINGA, MALAWI  - Malawi had nearly 7 million malaria cases last year, more than a third of the population, with 2,500 lives lost to the mosquito-borne disease. However, one village has become a model for how to eradicate malaria and in June was honored as the first ever to have zero malaria cases for a whole year.

Margret Kachere, a resident of Mwikala village in Machinga district, recounted a day in 2009 when her family of five children was about to lose its second-born child to malaria. Sorry, but your browser cannot support embedded video of this type, you can download this video to view it offline. “That day her body was too hot, and she would often faint,” she said. “I took her to a traditional healer, but it did not help. It was so terrible that one could not sleep. This forced me to take her to the hospital the following day, where she got help after (being) diagnosed with malaria.” Kachere’s family members are among thousands in Mwikala who have long been affected by malaria, largely because of beliefs and misconceptions about the use of mosquito nets as a preventive measure.