Disease Dilemma's - Case Study - Malaria in Mauritius - National Eradication Strategies

Question 1

What is a top down approach to disease eradication and which country attempted this/which disease? (2)

Answer 1

1) Top down = national government led approach.

2) Mauritius with Malaria

Question 2

What was the situation with Malaria in Mauritius before the top-down approach? (2)

Answer 2

1) Endemic since 19th century

2) Epidemic killed 1/8 of population in 1867

Question 3

When was first top-down approach introduced in Mauritius? What strategies did they use? (2)

Answer 3

1) 1948-1951.

2) Sprayed buildings and breeding sites with DDT

Question 4

Success of first campaign of disease eradication in Mauritius? (2)

Answer 4

1) 1973 it was declared ‘malaria free’.

2) Death rates went down from 6 per 1000 (pre campaign) to 0.6 per 1000 (end of campaign in 1951)

Question 5

What limited success of first top-down approach in `Mauritius and how? What was situation by 1982? (3)

Answer 5

1) Cyclone Gervaise in 1975 - migrant workers who came to reconstruct infrastructure reintroduced malaria to island.

2) Coastal flooding from cyclone created new breeding sites for malarial parasite.

3) 1982 = malaria epidemic again

Question 6

Name the 4 strategies used since the 1980s to combat malaria in Mauritius? (4)

Answer 6

1) Spraying indoors with DDT.

2) Spraying breeding sites.

3) Introducing fish that eat mosquito larvae

4) Mass distribution of the anti-malarial drug called Chloroquine

Question 7

What have Mauritius govt introduced since 1998? How does it work? How many people tested a year? (3)

Answer 7

1) Screening passengers at int. airport.

2) Screen passengers from endemic countries & keep people with symptoms under surveillance (blood samples taken for up to 4 months).

3). 175k a year tested

Question 8

Success of the top-down approach in Mauritius (2021)?

Answer 8

WHO call it a malaria free country. Very few cases and all imported (less than 30)