1968 Southern Rakeo malaria epidemic
| Date | April 15, 1967 – March 12, 1976 |
|---|---|
| Location | Southern/Central Sur |
| Also known as | Rakeoian Malaria Outbreak |
| Cause | Flooding Water infrastructure breakdown Mismanagement of health resources |
| Deaths | 15,000-40,000 (Rakeoian sources) 20,000-100,000 (Independent research) |
| Publication bans | Rakeo (partial) |
The 1967 Southern Rakeo malaria epidemic was the largest outbreak of Creeperian Malaria in Rakeo in the 20th century. Triggered by severe flooding and made worse through both negligence and intentional policy, discussion of the government's response to the epidemic is largely censored in modern Rakeo.
Background
Throughout the Rakeoian Civil War, waterway infrastructure across the country went without maintenance, particularly in the rural interior. When the abnormally heavy autumn rains began between 15 April – 21 April 1967, dams, weirs, and pumping stations in the Menora del Sur began to fail, resulting in exceptional flooding throughout the region. Attempts to repair the damage and drain floodwaters were disrupted by governmental disruption and the beginning of winter, which marked the end of repair efforts until spring of 1968. Which government directories were responsible for repairs and rehousing of residents were both heavily contested, leaving local government authorities operating with smaller budgets to lead the response.
Government response
The epidemic was exacerbated by government response. Draining of waterlogged areas around the region was piecemeal as local authorities were left to deal with the crisis without broader support. Isolationist policies prohibiting foreign imports continued, in spite of the rapid depletion of the national stock of quinine. Quinine growing plants like the cinchona tree are killed by the harshness of Rakeo’s winters, and synthetic production, being non-economical, had not been pursued in prior years.
Instead of lifting bans on foreign imports, then Head of State Ricardo Cornelio recommended that sufferers find 'patriotic medicines' that grew within the homeland. Other government officials told malaria patients to use willow bark to alleviate their symptoms. While willow bark can reduce fevers, it has no direct impact on the parasite that causes Malaria disease. As the disease swept through Southern Rakeo, patients not getting access to antimalarials resulted in large excess mortality.
Extermination efforts against Aedes creeperiacae led to the creation of the Military Agency for Extermination. The epidemic was declared over in 1976, with no new malaria cases appearing for the past six months in the Southern Sur region.
Legacy
The Military Agency for Extermination was civilianized to the Directory of the Environment and Extermination in 1981, and continued in its mission to remove threats to Rakeo's ecology and public health. While Malaria remains a threat to health in Rakeo, in 2014, it reported an average of 20 deaths per year attributable to the parasite.
