Residents of the Philippine village of Danglas, Abra, have composed an "anti-malaria jingle" as part of a campaign to eradicate the mosquito-borne disease in the region. The song is symbolic of the campaign's attempt to empower villagers by making malaria treatment and prevention a daily habit.
     Danglas was chosen by the University of the Philippines' College of Public Health two years ago as a pilot site for the project, since the village has a high incidence of malaria among its 65 households. The college "hoped that after the [34-month] study, the families could do their own early case detection and provide prompt and accurate treatment and self-protection measures from malaria."
     Under the project, villagers collect mosquitos and larva samples, map breeding sites and track malarial incidence among their families. They have learned how to clear larvae from streams and use pesticides on mosquito beds. Once a week, villagers monitor larvae and clear streams if the larval density is high.
     "Even the children enjoy the activities," said Araceli Maglaya, a psychiatric nursing instructor at the university's department of nursing.
     The density of mosquito larvae in streams dropped 45% from April 1998 to April 1999. Since the mosquito can travel up to 500 meters from its habitat, Danglas residents decided to educate other nearby villagers about malaria prevention (Frank Climatu, Philippine Daily Inquirer, 22 Jun).