Malaria in Papua New Guinea - LPNI

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Malaria in Papua New Guinea

LPNI Health Topic-November 2023

Malaria has been a problem in Papua New Guinea (PNG) for a very long time. Lutheran Mission started work there in 1886. Malaria was a big problem then and it still is today despite efforts by the government and various organizations to bring the incidence of malaria down. In 2021 the World Health Organization reported that there were 247 million cases of malaria in the world causing 619,000 deaths. Africa has a high incidence of malaria and so does PNG.

Malaria is caused by a plasmodium parasite either falciparum or vivax and can affect people of all ages. Malaria is spread by the female anopheles mosquito, and signs and symptoms appear 10-18 days after being bitten by an infected mosquito. Some adults and children have only mild signs and symptoms, but some get severe symptoms including cerebral malaria which can be fatal. Local people shifting to different areas in PNG often developed severe cases. Children who get repeated attacks of malaria gradually become anemic and their spleens become enlarged.

Papua New Guinea is a tropical country with a high rainfall, and so is a good breeding place for mosquitoes. The PNG houses were originally made of bush materials and so had no protection against mosquito entry. Gradually more permanent type houses with window screens were built, firstly down the coast and then in the highlands, giving more protection against mosquito entry. Large mosquito nets to cover beds were also introduced to stop the spread of malaria, but the incidence of malaria is still high as there is plenty of water around for the mosquitoes to breed in.

The signs and symptoms of malaria are fever, chills, sweating, headache and sometimes nausea, vomiting and diarrhea.

The main treatment was chloroquine for three days or IM quinine if the patient was unconscious. Children who had become anemic or had enlarged spleens needed longer treatment and were also in danger of their spleen being damaged when playing contact sports. People coming to PNG on holidays from other countries needed to take anti-malarials prophylactically. Those of us who worked in Papua New Guinea had to take anti-malarials weekly, and see that our houses were safe from mosquitoes to protect ourselves from malaria. We also protect ourselves from mosquito bites when outside but still we were not always successful and had mild cases of malaria.

Part of our work as nurses in PNG, especially if we went into the villages to conduct baby clinics and give routine child immunizations, was to also to educate the people on how to prevent themselves from contracting malaria, and to come quickly to get treatment if they started having symptoms of malaria.

Margaret Voigt RN (Ret)

Hope Valley, South Australia