314 
MALARIA 
The initial maintenance cost seems reason¬ 
able and it is believed that an annual re¬ 
habilitation job such as was done in 1940 
will more or less perpetuate the mosquito¬ 
proofing, although 4 or 5 years will be re¬ 
quired to reach the maximum annual main¬ 
tenance cost. 
Financing 
The question arises as to how improved 
housing and mosquito-proofing may be ob¬ 
tained when they are indicated as a ma¬ 
larial control measure. Certain basic facts 
present themselves and must be taken into 
account in considering the problem. 
Most public funds from which appropria¬ 
tions for public health work are made can¬ 
not be applied to improving housing be¬ 
cause this may be construed as constituting 
improvement of private property. Mala¬ 
ria control drainage might also be consid¬ 
ered in this light, for which considerable 
public funds are being expended but the 
legal aspects are somewhat different. The 
public also understands that the benefit to 
private property in the case of malaria 
control drainage is secondary and inci¬ 
dental to the public health benefit. 
Thus, it is seen that at least for the pres¬ 
ent funds for improved housing and mos¬ 
quito-proofing must be obtained from pri¬ 
vate sources directly or indirectly. Group 
taxation for a specific purpose is given as 
an example of how funds might be raised 
indirectly. For purpose of illustration ref¬ 
erence is made to a recent malaria control 
bill which was introduced into the legisla¬ 
ture of Alabama, adopted and later ratified 
by a state-wide referendum as an amend¬ 
ment to the constitution, which gives the 
people of Colbert County the privilege of 
levying additional taxes for the purpose of 
controlling malaria on a district basis. The 
bill is quoted as follows: 
‘ ‘ The Court of County Commissioners of Colbert 
County, Alabama, is authorized to divide said 
County into drainage districts for the control of 
malaria, and said County is authorized and em¬ 
powered to levy and collect in the several districts 
so formed, for use in the control of malaria, in addi¬ 
tion to all other taxes now authorized by law, a 
special tax of three mills on all taxable property 
situated in the several drainage districts so formed, 
based upon the valuation of such property as as¬ 
sessed for State taxation, and to be used exclusively 
for the control of malaria in the drainage district 
in which the said tax is levied and collected, pro¬ 
vided such tax is authorized by a majority of the 
qualified electors residing in such drainage district 
voting upon such proposition at an election called 
and held for the purpose of authorizing such tax, 
and provided that said tax shall be levied and col¬ 
lected for a period of ten years from the time that 
it is authorized at the election held in such district. 
Such an election may be called at any time by the 
Court of County Commissioners of said County and 
shall be held and conducted and the results can¬ 
vassed as now provided by law for holding and con¬ 
ducting and canvassing the returns of a regular 
election. The proceeds of the tax hereby authorized 
shall be used exclusively for the control of malaria 
in the drainage district in which it is levied and 
collected and shall be expended through the proper 
fiscal agencies of the County Government under the 
direction of the Governing Body of Colbert County, 
and the Colbert County Department of Public 
Health.” 
Material advancement is dependent on 
a strong individual and collective desire 
for improvement. Continuing public health 
education, both in and out of schools, should 
be an important approach to promotional 
effort. Health organizations should pre¬ 
sent a practical, logical and feasible con¬ 
trol program. Long-term planning is im¬ 
portant, but consideration should always 
be given to control measures of a temporary 
nature pending realization of the final ob¬ 
jective. It is, of course, important that the 
program be predicated on a most thorough 
analysis of the problem from epidemiolog¬ 
ical, biological and engineering standpoints. 
The economic resources of the individual 
or the region must be taken into account. 
Malaria is a disease which exacts a tre¬ 
mendous toll in direct costs in addition to 
lost time and efficiency. Control program 
financing should show an economic saving 
if possible. General mass improvement of 
housing in rural areas of the south where 
malaria is endemic, and where biological 
control of its vector is not feasible, is diffi¬ 
cult to foresee as an accomplishment of the 
immediate future. However, mosquito¬ 
proofing of existing houses is a practical 
possibility. Except for eradication of the 
vector, it is probably the most effective 
malaria control method. 
