Throwback Thursday: Mitigating Malaria

Yesterday, April 25, was World Malaria Day and so what better time to celebrate the life of Dr Siegfried Annecke, a well-known entomologist who did extensive research on the malaria-carrying mosquito in Tzaneen.

Dr Dawid Hugo Siegfried Annecke was born on February 25, 1895 in Aliwal North.

After completing his studies, he took a position at Grey Hospital and received a clinical gold medal. He also lectured at the Ross Institute of Tropical Hygiene.

Annecke received a bursary to conduct research on malaria in Europe, especially places such as Italy and the Mediterranean, where malaria was still prevalent.

In South Africa, Annecke was employed by the Department of National Health and Welfare, stationed in Durban.

On Annecke’s recommendation, Professor Swellengrebel from the Tropical School in Amsterdam was invited to South Africa to conduct a census of malaria regions in Natal and the Transvaal.

Annecke ordered that Professor Swellengrebel be assisted by the young entomologist, Botha de Meillon. Dr de Meillon was from the South African Institute of Medical Research in Johannesburg.

Extensive research was carried out in the Tzaneen area. Here, he showed that the vector mosquitoes rested indoors for several days after taking a blood meal before leaving the house to lay eggs.

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This led directly to the strategy of indoor house spraying used globally when residual insecticides such as dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT) became available after World War II. Findings from the census by Professor Swellengrebel and Dr de Meillon also led to the building of the laboratory in Tzaneen that would serve the entire Transvaal.

The early work of Annecke in the Transvaal, from the time that the malaria station was established in 1932 until the early 1940s, consisted mainly of advocacy and training – teaching the communities how to protect themselves through treatment, improved housing construction, screening and insecticidal spraying.

With a substantial grant from Treasury, Annecke, together with the local farmers, embarked on a full-scale malaria control operation. This programme functioned for three years but malaria had already virtually vanished one year after operations began.

Annecke recorded that this operation was carried out with no guidance on appropriate staffing and materials.

Treasury almost trebled the grant for the malaria programme in 1944 and 1945 and Annecke rolled out vector control to as much of the Transvaal Lowveld as existing staffing allowed.

DDT for house spraying was introduced in 1945. The results were dramatic.

An honorary Doctorate was awarded to Annecke in 1954 by the University of Pretoria.

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At retirement age in 1955, Annecke was given the task of helping to combat bilharzia. The task was never completed as Annecke passed away six months later on August 5, 1955.

Annecke served on the council of experts on malaria for the World Health Organisation.

He further sat on the Tzaneen Municipal Council and also served as Mayor of Tzaneen from 1941 to 1943 and then again from 1944 to 1946.

Under his leadership, some of the first tar roads in Tzaneen were built.

Dr Annecke was noted to be a man of incredible talents that he shared selflessly with his country. He is also described as a man with great sympathy, especially to the under-privileged.

Sources: Tzaneen ’75 and The South African Medical Journal