The Conquest of Malaria: Italy 1900-1962

Whenever I read the news about malaria, it always seems that its focused on raising money for bed nets or vaccines. Rarely have I seen an article about countries that made a determined effort and eradicated malaria.

In The Conquest of Malaria, Frank M. Snowden attempts to outline the systems that Italy employed to defeat the terrible disease. Italy was considered a malaria hot zone for over 60 years. It didn't help that it was involved with WW1, WW2, and had a Fascist leader who didn't put public health at the top of his agenda. Still, the Italian managed to win the battle, and it's label as a malaria free zone occurred around 1969.

So, I don't have time to read 275+ pages before Thurs... so skimming, here's what I found out:

Causes for prolonged period of malaria (and other medical catastrophes)

• armed conflict
• population displacement
• drug resistant strains
• environmental havoc
• climatic change

What malaria did to Italy:

• undermined agricultural productivity
• decimated the army
• destroyed communities
• left families impoverished

Initial approach to solving the problem

• "magic medicine" ie. silver bullet of medicine, quinine
• "magic insecticide" ie. DDT

Final Victory occurred when:

• return of peace
• reestablishment of public health infrastructures and schools
• introduction of DDT
• five year plan to erradicate fever as a nation
• rise of education and civil rights
• rise of women's rights, labor, and the achievement of universal literacy and social justice
• universal education about the disease to take the public how to advance their own health
• treatment given without cost

Today's main approach

• magic thinking 1: lowtech: make impregnated mosq. bed nets cheaper and more available
• magic thinking 2: antispasmodic vaccine or re-engineered mosquito

This historical study is both encouraging and cautionary. Italy, formerly one of the world's greatest empires (Roman) was powerless against malaria as many other 3rd world nations are today. However, they managed to defeat it. Gives some hope. Especially since we, as a world, has accumulated more wisdom since then.

One of Snowden's quotes: "Malaria REFLECTS the totality of the relations of human beings with one another and with their environment."