It’s Monday morning in Loreto Primary School. The first lessons are over. The breakfast has been served. The last pupils run back to their classrooms with their washed plates, while others walk to the Mary Ward Primary Health Care Centre (PHCC) next door. Some of the students are accompanied and supported by their friends. The shady tents under the big lulu tree that serve as waiting rooms are quickly filled. It is malaria season. The little patients are waiting uncomplainingly for their turn while the medical staff work efficiently. Everyone is registered and weighed, their temperature is taken, and then they undergo a malaria test. In these weeks, nearly 100% of all tested persons are malaria positive.

The smaller ones are particularly affected by malaria, explains Mary Alual, one of our nurses. The upper primary students receive regular health education. They know how to protect themselves from mosquito bites. They know the symptoms and come to the PHCC by themselves as soon as they feel ill.

The smaller ones depend on their parents’ protection and care. Not all parents know that planting crops like maize and sorghum close to the house will provide the mosquitoes with ideal breeding places. Most of the parents cannot afford to buy mosquito nets for the whole family and many people sleep outside due to the heat and lack of space. Consequently, malaria is the most widespread disease in South Sudan.

Our PHCC is a blessing for every primary school student since the health care situation nationally remains dire. Many people have to walk up to 20km to reach the next hospital or even a nurse. When they arrive, there is often no medicine available. They have to go to the pharmacy and buy their medicine, if they have the money to do so. Here in Loreto, when a child feels sick during the day, they will see a nurse quickly and the medicine is free.

Some parents are not aware that the headache or the lack of appetite of their children could be a symptom of a serious illness, like malaria. Thankfully, the teachers know the signs. When one of the small ones, sits at their desks with feverish eyes and feeling weak, it is the teacher who sends the child to the PHCC. There they get their medication and can rest before they go back to their class or home.

“When you have malaria, it’s necessary to react quickly”, explains Jolam Masereka, the clinical officer of the PHCC, “and because we can do this here, we don’t have severe cases or students who die from malaria. We can control the complications and manage this disease.”

Later in the evening, when the students go home, 211 of them alone have been treated for malaria during the day. Tomorrow, most of them will come back since the treatment needs three to five days. The malaria season will go on until November or December, depending on the rain, but our primary children are in good hands thanks to our Primary Health Care Centre.

Background:
Loreto Primary School was opened in 2010 to serve the local community and provide quality education to their children. 1,174 girls and boys are currently enrolled. To ensure that the students are well-equipped to learn, the school provides a daily meal to each student, as well as free medical care for basic diseases.

According to the WHO, Malaria is the most common illness in South Sudan and is responsible for 50% of all deaths. In 2025 estimated 8,3 million cases will occur, of which only 2,4 million will be treated in a health facility.