Strengthening a Company's Fight Against Malaria Among Semi-immunes: Spouses on the Frontline

Abstract

A malaria prevention program developed by an oilfield services company in response to malaria fatalities among employees has proved to be very effective over the past decade. However, although there have been no recorded malaria fatalities among the semi-immune population, malaria rates have remained very high, inflicting a heavy burden on the families and having indirect consequences for the company.To explore strategies for strengthening the effectiveness of the program among its semi-immune employees and their families who live and work at high-risk locations, the company conducted a survey in 2010 in four sub-Saharan African countries among the company's semi-immune employees and their spouses.Although the locations surveyed are similar in their basic socioeconomic circumstances, significant cultural and behavioral differences were found to abound in the perception of the problem of malaria. The findings show how environmental factors affect the acceptability and eventual effectiveness of traditional insect bite prevention measures. Clear differences in the levels of awareness between employees and their spouses are also highlighted.Based on the results of the survey, the company designed a semi-immune malaria prevention program in which the spouses not only actively participate but also share its ownership with the HSE function. Creativity is employed in making the program flexible and adaptable. The pilot program will be implemented at two of the surveyed locations over an initial twoyear period.