Maggot Production and Maggot Therapy in Conflict Healthcare
by MedMagLabs, Griffith University School of Medicine
THE CHALLENGE
Civilians, increasingly the target of hostilities in conflict areas, represent the majority of casualties in current conflicts due to their lack of personal protection equipment and therefore greater vulnerability to injury from explosive weapons, landmines, and military attacks. Responding to mass casualties and providing ongoing wound care is often difficult for humanitarian actors because of shortages in medical supplies and personnel. Poor hygiene in under-resourced care environments (e.g., conflict, disasters, and poverty-affected settings) also leads to high levels of injury-related infections, some of which may become antibiotic-resistant. With a dearth of adequate wound and trauma care, infections are a common cause of death and loss of limbs in conflict-affected zones. Excess fatalities from otherwise treatable ailments increase the civilian toll from conflict.
THE SOLUTION
To address the need for more reliable and effective wound treatment in conflict and disaster settings, MedMag Labs—run by Griffith University—developed a novel maggot therapy using fly larvae to remove damaged tissue from a wound, control infection, and promote healing. The project team prototyped and optimized a shipping container lab (C-Lab) for large-volume medicinal (disinfected) maggot production, while also developing small do-it-yourself production set-ups (DIY-Labs) for affected communities to build and operate. Multilingual illustrated training manuals were developed to permit professionals and lay people to safely produce maggots and treat wounds on-site in humanitarian response settings. Although the innovation has yet to be deployed in the field, throughout the HGC funding period MedMag Labs has succeeded in creating a successful foundation for future implementation of maggot therapy by humanitarian partners.
