Re-evaluating disease prevention

Issued: Tue, 31 Aug 2010 14:54:00 BST

Current Kelvin Smith Scholar, Emma Laurie, completed her undergraduate degree in Geographical and Earth Sciences at Glasgow in 2009. It was during this period that she became interested in the issues surrounding the spread of tropical disease in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Emma was awarded a Kelvin Smith Scholarship in 2009/10 to fund her research project, entitled 'Disease, Local Knowledge and Household Vulnerability'. The project is an in-depth study of the spread of malaria in individuals and study how it the individual is embedded within the wider social, economic, political and cultural structures of Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.

'This research is not concerned with large statistics, but the individuals behind them' Emma says. 'Its aim is to understand malaria from the perspective of the household. This research is conducted under the supervision of Geographical and Earth Sciences, Infection and Immunology and Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, bringing together the scientific factors with the social, political and cultural factors.'

Malaria is preventable and treatable, however, although science has taught us how to control the disease, economic and cultural factors in Sub-Saharan Africa means that malaria still claims up to 1 million fatalities a year.

'Malaria impacts on the entire household, not just the individual who is sick,' explains Emma, 'these impacts differ within households. For example, malaria disrupts education, a disruption with long-term consequences; it disrupts employment and with many households in Tanzania engaged in the informal sector or self-employed, the financial ramifications of this disruption is great. My research is focused on determining these impacts along with others, establishing if, and how, they differ according to the social and economic status of individual households.

'This research hopes to help produce disease prevention policies which are scientifically sound and tailored to be appropriate to the population. This research is conducted in Tanzania, talking with and listening to people who suffer from malaria.'

At a recent Kelvin Smith Scholarship event Emma's research project was awarded the prize for best Kelvin Smith film. .

Find out more

• Disease, Local Knowledge and Household Vulnerability in sub-Saharan Africa