1. Destruction of mosquitoes
(i) Destruction of mosquito breeding grounds. Areas where mosquitoes lay eggs and larvae grow must be destroyed.
(ii) Shallow and closed water bodies are good breeding grounds for mosquitoes. Therefore, closed reservoirs have to be filled or renovated.
(iii) Mosquitoes should be destroyed by spraying insect repellants. Reducing the number of mosquitoes will reduce the spread of the disease.
(iv) Spray kerosene or petroleum or paraffin oil in the reservoir to form a layer on top of the water. This will cause the mosquito larvae and pupae to die due to lack of oxygen.
(v) Mosquitoes can lay their eggs in bushes and shrubs, so these places should be cleaned.
(vi) Fishes such as taki fish, horn fish, guppy fish, magur, tilapia, khalisa, puti, kai etc. should be cultivated in the water bodies. All these fish eat the larvae of the mosquito.
(vii) Kill mosquitoes manually and by creating traps.
(viii) Keeping the larvae as larvae for life by adding juvenile hormone to the water.
(ix) Biopesticides are made with lethal genes from Bacillus thuringiensis H-14 and Bacillus sphaericus bacteria in genetic engineering process. This biopesticide can be applied to water bodies to kill mosquito larvae extensively.
(x) Gamma radiation, chemical substances and hybridization create sterile mosquitoes and release them into nature to reduce mosquito population.
(xi) Approved insecticides should be used for mosquito control in urban areas.
2. Protection from mosquito bites
(i) Construction of houses on high ground.
(ii) Mosquito net should be used while sleeping.
(iii) Mosquito nets should be used on the doors, windows and ventilates of the house.
(iv) Repellents or creams should be used on exposed parts of the body.
(v) The house should be fumigated in the evening to repel mosquitoes.
(vi) Malaria patients should be kept under mosquito nets.
(vii) Use of mosquito coils, aerosols and incense.
(viii) Pyrethroids should be used on mosquito nets and bedding.
3. Treatment: For the past 300 years, quinine-like medicine derived from the bark of Cinchona officinalis has been used as the only medicine for malaria. Synthetic allopathic drugs effective in malaria are Nivaquine, Chloroquine, Chemoquine, Paladrin, Aveloclor, Cefloquine, Halofantrine, Preimaquine, Fanmider, Mapacrine, Proganil, Mefloquine, Doxycycline, Malarone etc.
4. Malaria vaccine: Mosquirix, the world’s first anti-malaria vaccine, has been discovered. This is known as RTSS. The four-dose vaccine is capable of producing effective antibodies against Plasmodium falciparum. The vaccine was approved in 2019 after 30 years of research. The vaccine is being piloted in three African countries for the next three years. The vaccine was developed by GlaxoSmithKline in collaboration with the Malaria Vaccine Initiative with the support of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
5. Herbal Medicine for Malaria: Scientists have claimed that the use of Artemisia plant as a herbal medicine brings success in controlling malaria.
6. Homeopathic medicines for malaria: Successful homeopathic medicines in the treatment of malaria are – Arsenic Album, Chin-sulph, Rhustox, China, Heper sulph, Sulpher, Bryonia etc.
7. Juvenile hormone: The hormone that transforms the larva of an insect into a full-fledged moth is called juvenile hormone. It arises from the corpora allatra of the insect brain. In the absence of this hormone, larvae do not develop into full-fledged moths.
8. Public awareness creation: People should be made aware about the harmful aspects of malaria, its vectors and prevention. Extensive publicity should be done through radio, television, Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, newspapers etc. Leaflets, posters, banners etc. should be distributed in public and private ways.