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To understand the concept of Systems Thinking by exploring a real-life case study that
demonstrates how actions in one part of a system can affect other parts in unexpected ways.

CASE STUDY 21 st Century #Information Literacy
Skills
The Borneo Malaria Crisis
Introduction

To explore this idea, let’s examine a real-world incident from the 1950s that occurred in

Borneo, an island in Southeast Asia. We’ll investigate the situation, understand the chain of
events, and map out the interconnected factors that contributed to surprising outcomes.
Problem

In the 1950s, the island of Borneo faced a serious malaria outbreak. The local population
sought assistance from the World Health Organization (WHO).

Initial Action Taken

WHO responded by spraying DDT, a pesticide, to control the mosquito population and
reduce the spread of malaria. Initially, this intervention seemed successful, and malaria cases
declined.

Outcomes

However, the use of DDT led to several unintended consequences:

A plague outbreak occurred.
Roofs of houses began to collapse.

Question

This may seem puzzling—how could a pesticide lead to collapsing roofs and a new disease
outbreak? Let’s use systems thinking to explore how all these events are connected in a
broader system.

21 st Century #Media Literacy
Skills
Video Session

Watch the video of “Systems thinking: a cautionary tale” at the given link:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=17BP9n6g1F0 OR scan the QR code and
answer the following question:
What have you learnt from this video?

Introduction to Systems Thinking and System Map 73