Reuters is reporting today about a study conducted in Kenya about a local fish that may be beneficial in preventing malaria. The Nile tilapia was shown to have nearly wiped out the entire mosquito population of three Kenyan ponds studied and the study was the first of its kind to test the potential to fight malaria in the field. However, the fish is considered a very nutritious meal and many of the fish ponds in the country are usually poorly maintained or lacking in fish.
Which brings to mind the current sustainable seafood movement. Oceans are becoming dangerously overfished and the damage that this ecosystem imbalance could cause to the world is immeasurable. However, allowing for the seafood population to grow and remain sustainable, many benefits will be seen, including, for example, malaria control. If the Kenyan ponds are cleaned and maintained, and a Nile tilapia population is sustained, it ought to provide a great example of non-chemical and non-phamaceutical malaria prevention.
Hopefully, more studies and reports on the Nile tilapia's malaria prevention potential will be published, because this could be a very innovative and very beneficial method of prevention.
For more on sustainable seafood, check out EarthEcho International.
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