Tuesday, May 9 2006
ARUSHA — In the malaria ward at Arumeru Hospital a mother and at least one of her children lay on each of the dozen beds. White mosquito nets hanging over each of the beds were covered with bugs, including two-inch long moths. There were even bugs flying around inside some of the nets.
Anna Patris and 2-year old Alexander occupied the last bed. She brought him to the hospital two and a half weeks earlier because of a persistent cough. The diagnosis ended up being pneumonia but Patris was 
taking no chances. She has already lost two children to malaria.
All during the briefings to prepare for the trip, United Nations and Tanzanian health officials stressed how many people die from malaria. They estimate 100-thousand deaths in Tanzania every year. 80% of the victims are babies under the age of 5.
Through an interpreter Patris told WebMD editor Cherie Berkley and me that her eight year old son Kevin fainted from “dege dege.” (DEH-gay DEH-gay: Swahili for convulsions). She and her husband brought Kevin to the hospital where he died a short time later. The family also lost 3-month old Nbette to “dege dege.” It’s not clear when the boys died.
Patris says before the tragedies she was unaware that “dege dege” was a symptom of the advanced stages of malaria, that the infections are caused by mosquitoes and that mosquitoes breed in pools of water, which are very common in this mountainous region.
The government says this is a major problem in the rural areas, where many people lack education. It is not uncommon for parents to try and treat sick children at home. In many cases by the time they bring the child to the hospital, like in Patris’ case, it is too late. Another problem is that most people are so poor they often have to decide between buying medicine for a sick family member or food.
Patris is lucky because she knew what to do when Alexander became ill. She and her husband raise crops and could afford to seek medical care. A vast majority of those people who are not so fortunate are even more likely to lose a child to malaria. I have a lot more to say about two contrasting villages, one fairly well off and one extremely poor. Both are dealing with malaria, but in different ways. But it’s 2am Wednesday and my eyes are blurry so you’ll just have to check back.
— Bob Butler, KCBS Radio
