Can malaria be eliminated from Uganda?

By Dr. Patrick Ogwang Engeu

Recently the northern part of our country experienced one of the deadliest malaria epidemics the nation has ever faced.

The response from the ministry of health was that the cause was cessation of indoor residual spraying. This answer was correct but half truth. The full truth is that though Indoor residual spray reduces mosquito burden, it greatly leads to loss of semi immunity which protects against clinical malaria as well as severe malaria.

What can we do to reduce or eliminate malaria?

1)      Eliminate poverty. Even if we got the most effective vaccine today; it will have to be provided free because of rampant poverty. Majority of Ugandans cannot still afford to buy preventive products for malaria and other diseases. Even if a product cost 10 shillings a day and thus 300 shillings a month and 3600 shillings a year (1USD) many Ugandans will not afford because of poverty.  Poverty in Uganda is self created because there is no Ugandan who has no access to capital to earn money. Land is the most important capital and no one in Uganda can fail to access land at least from a relative to cultivate.

2)      Eliminate ignorance. Many Ugandans are still ignorant of the cause of malaria. Many still think that malaria is caused eating mangoes or maize. They need to know that malaria is caused by a bite from a mosquito carrying the malaria germ. This ignorance can be eliminated through mass education. This is why I support universal primary education even though the quality is poor. Ugandans are also ignorant of the ways malaria can be prevented. Though government and NGO’s have labored to give mosquito nets to all Ugandans, most people don’t use them regularly especially drunkards. Now when a drunkard in a house catches malaria, he becomes a reservoir of the parasites for the entire house for mosquitoes transfer the malaria germ to others. Ugandans are also ignorant or negligent of keeping doors and windows closed as soon as it clocks 6.30 pm to avoid entry of the mosquitoes.

3)      Promote use of herbs or herbal teas that boost immunity and kill malaria parasites in human. Most Ugandans know herbs that treat or prevent malaria but because these herbs are bitter people don’t want to take them. The culture of loving sweet things and abhorring bitter things has swept Ugandans.

The herbs that prevent malaria include kigaji ( aloe vera), omotulika ( phylanthus amarus), eusuk ( Zanthoxylum chalybeum), mululusa ( vernonia amygdalina) , Artemisia annua etc.  We also have effective herbal products such as ARTAVOL malaria prevention tea available now in supermarkets and drugs shops. These herbs stop the parasites from multiplying in our blood and also energise our white blood cells to attack and digest the young malaria germ before they mature to cause disease.

These herbs stop the parasite from producing a compound called haemozoin which weakens our immunity against malaria and other diseases. The stopping of haemozoin formation also enables accumulation of another compound called haem which also kills the parasites. So herbs work in multiple ways which include direct killing of the parasite, blocking haemozoin formation, supporting immune cells to be many in number and actively attacking and digesting the parasite. 

This is why people who take certain herbs regularly as tea or food cannot get malaria for many years. The advantage of this method of prevention over conventional drugs or indoor residual spray is that one does not lose their semi immune status which protects against severe malaria. This is because the process of malaria parasite digestion by the white blood cells generates antigens which also help the body generate more antibodies against malaria germ and severe malaria. This is the basis for ARTAVOL malaria prevention tea which was developed from Artemisia annua and other plants cultivated here in Uganda. I have now survived 3 malaria attacks every year for 6 years meaning I have survived 18 malaria attacks since I started using ARTAVOL tea in January 2009.

4)       Immediately do blood tests whenever we feel any cardinal symptoms of malaria and if the parasite is found we should immediately take the right treatment. This has advantage of tackling the parasites before they become too many in our blood. It also has the advantage of reducing the chance of a mosquito transferring the parasite to another person. Currently I don’t encourage use of herbs for treatment because we have not yet confirmed the effectiveness of any herbs as a cure of malaria. My team tested one formula called DEI herbal antimalarial at laboratory stage and found it to kill the malaria parasites got from patients in Mulago National Referral Hospital but we are yet to test it humans to confirm its effectiveness against all forms of malaria. The recommended treatments are drugs like coartem which are now available in almost every corner of this country and this is what I recommend for cure when one catches the disease

5)      Persons with HIV should not get malaria attacks at all because each time they get malaria, the parasite multiples in their bodies faster making them good parasite reservoirs which become a source for mosquito to transmit the parasites to others.

They also get heightened viral load or the amount of the virus in their blood shoots up whenever they get malaria. This we think is because malaria itself weakens ones immunity through production of haemozoin . Such persons can greatly benefit from the herbs that kill the parasites and boost immunity if they take these herbs daily as tea.

Certain herbs can be taken daily in tea or food with no harm to the body. This is the culture in china; their tea is full of herbs every day. Let me also say that herbs such as those I have listed above boost levels of white blood cells particularly monocytes which also help in elimination of Tuberculosis (TB) germ as well as malaria germ. They also boost levels of white blood cells called lymphocytes which fight viruses including HIV.  There is a close relationship between malaria, HIV and TB but regular intakes of certain herbs such those list above help keep these diseases under check.


In conclusion; It is generally almost impossible to eliminate mosquitoes in Uganda and Africa at large currently because of the nature of our environment which has lakes, forests and bushes. Our life style and economic activities such as agriculture, poorly designed car washing bays, brick making places, hunting for food in bushes, defecating in bushes etc all promote our encounter with the mosquitoes.

Nations that have succeeded in eliminating malaria are those that have managed to reduce or eliminate poverty and ignorance, controlled mosquitoes not just by spraying as we are told to do, but by also managing their life style and economic activities. For example the farmland for agriculture is very far from human settlements. Thus the chance of mosquito moving from farms to humans is kept very low. They have also managed their water bodies in that there are no stagnant water ponds or riversides or lakes to harbor mosquito’s eggs.

Most of the lakes or water bodies are infested with fish or aquatics that feed on mosquito eggs to reduce mosquito survival. I therefore recommend that for the sustainable and effective prevention of malaria we should promote use of mosquito nets and herbal teas strengthening these with programs to eradicate poverty and ignorance. Thank you.

The writer is a pharmacist with PhD in pharmacology focusing on herbal prevention of malaria. Also senior Lecturer, Dept of Pharmacy, Mbarara University of Science and Technology