211648 Paradigm of mosquito control and its implementation in tropical Africa: Lessons from Liberia

Monday, November 9, 2009: 2:30 PM

James L. A. Webb, PhD , Department of History, Colby College, Waterville, ME
The paradigm of mosquito control was critical to the early antimalaria pilot projects in tropical Africa, and Liberia was one of the first African states to experiment with it. In Liberia, the initial efforts, financed by the United States, were haphazard, costly, and focused on the protection of the population of Monrovia. They did not succeed in controlling malaria. The WHO financed a pilot project in the interior of Liberia with the goal of interrupting the transmission of malaria. This project failed to meet its goal. The project exposed the tensions between the interior peoples and the Liberian state, and the malariologists gained a deeper appreciation of some key political and environmental issues that would confront a program of malaria eradication in tropical Africa.

Learning Objectives:
To recognize the significance of historical epidemiology in malaria control in tropical Africa. To apply a historical framework to the analysis of contemporary policy regarding the control of malaria.

Keywords: History, Interventions

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: The author is qualified on the content because he is Professor of History at Colby College, where he teaches historical epidemiology and ecological history. His research focuses on the history of malaria. Author of Humanity’s Burden: A Global History of Malaria (New York: Cambridge University Press, 2009).
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.

See more of: Histories of international public health initiatives
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