The Past is the Future: Learning from Tanzania in Securitizing and Combating Malaria Endemic as a National Security Issue

Abstract

Tanzania is among the countries with the most significant endemic of Malaria in Africa. Considering its impact on the society Malaria turned into a national security issue in the country. Several efforts had done to save the people, which also brought several actors, from national organizations to international ones, into the process of fighting Malaria. However, it is fascinating that as a developing country, during the rapid growth of methods and achievements to combat Malaria in the planet, Tanzania would instead go back in time and use the old yet effective way by distributing insecticide-treated nets to the people intensively. Other than being financially effective, this solution is also showing the best result among other solutions provided. This paper shows that for developing countries, the case of Tanzania provides a lesson learned that utilizing a way from the past, but affordable, might be a decent option in combating national-wide health insecurity. While learning and developing modern methods in combating Malaria, we still need to put old ways into consideration. So, the solution in the past might be our way to the future.