1968 Southern Rakeo malaria epidemic
| Date | November 21, 1968 – 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 20,000-100,000 |
| Publication bans | Rakeo (partial) |
The 1968 Southern Rakeo malaria epidemic was the largest outbreak of Creeperian Malaria in Rakeo in the 20th century. Triggered by severe flooding the year prior creating new breeding grounds for the Aedes creeperiacae mosquito, the epidemic was worsened by the isolationist policies of General Secretary and de facto dictator Ricardo Cornelio, as well as government infighting. Discussion of the government's response to the epidemic was censored in Rakeo for decades, and the epidemic remains a sensitive and rarely covered subject in modern Rakeo outside of academia. Most modern information on the topic is the result of academic study from the University of San Miguel de Martínez conducted between the period of 2003–5, which was released to international journals.
Contents
Background
The malaria parasite, Plasmodium creeperiacae, spreads primarily through mosquitoes (known as an insect vector), and throughout history has been primarily controlled through killing of the mosquito hosts and denial of their ability to finding sources of stagnant water for reproduction.
Malaria was introduced to Rakeo alongside the Aedes creeperiacae mosquito as travel and trade between northern Rakeo and trade partners throughout the Senvarian sea, with its characteristic fevers being recorded by scholars as early as the 15th century, but its widespread transmission was delayed until the late 19th century, where disruption to the land through industrialization of the island and increased traffic between Rakeo and Creeperopolis during colonization led to Aedes creeperiacae developing a continous presence in the area. Throughout the Captaincy General of Rakeo and Second Republic of Rakeo, draining of land for further development and creation of roads helped to control the disease through disrupting mosquito populations.
Much of the drainage and water control infrastructure created between 1850–1950 was owned by companies using water power in the processing of lumber and the milling of grain, and when those industries faced serious disruption as their workers fled or were conscripted due to the ongoing Rakeoian Civil War, their dams across the countryside 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 infighting 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 contested, with the Directory of Agriculture Matters and Directory of Industrial Matters both claiming that financing the repair of the dams throughout the region were the other directory's responsibility, leaving contractors without pay and local government authorities operating with smaller budgets to lead the response.
Epidemic
In spring of 1968, mosquito populations began to rise far beyond normal levels due to the presence of flooded areas throughout the countryside. Hospitals began recording a significant uptick in malaria cases, and on 21 November 1968, Minister Andrés Mendoza Velázquez of Menora del Sur declared a public health emergency, requesting monetary support from the Stratocratic Authority and doctors and nurses from the Rakeoian Armed Services.
The minister requested a stay on isolationist trade policies prohibiting foreign imports in the field of pharmaceuticals and medicines, but these were upheld in spite of the rapid depletion of the national civilian stockpile 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, and other government officials told malaria sufferers 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. Lack of access to proper treatment with antimalarial medications drove excess mortality of patients throughout the epidemic. The Directory of Industrial Affairs put out a bid for the construction of a quinine production plant in the city of Palco, but it was not completed and operational until 1972.
Extermination efforts against mosquitos led to the creation of the Military Agency for Extermination, which took control of both ground based and aerial campaigns of pesticide spraying throughout Menora del Sur. These efforts were credited by doctors with the relatively low rates of malaria in the urban centers of Palco and San Miguel de Martínez. The epidemic was declared over in 1976, with the rate of malaria cases appearing to match historical norms for six months in the region.
Deaths
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.
