However, recent studies have shown that treatment alone has little impact on mortality and morbidity from malaria. Second, there should be regular update of knowledge of all health workers in the region of early diagnosis and treatment of malaria. The nets can be treated once at the beginning of the season by malaria control workers in all homes in the endemic areas. For the nomadic population, impregnation of the dwelling tents could prove to be equally effective. In addition, the quality of child feeding practices among mothers in Tihama need to be improved through effective nutrition education.
Malaria still remains a major health challenge in many parts of the world.
The economics of an integrated strategy have been emphasized22,23 in addition to well-known environmental control measures such as sanitation, drainage and spraying. It is hoped that the development and use of an effective vaccine will, in the future, enhance these efforts aimed at significantly reducing the incidence of childhood malaria or its eradication in this part of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Acknowledgment We would like to thank Mr. Jolly Mathews for secretarial assistance, Messrs. Gill Alpas and Renato Saavedra for the drawing and photography of the figures respectively. Greenwood BM, Bradley AK, Greenwood AM, et al. Mortality and morbidity from malaria among children in a rural area of the Gambia, West Africa.