Causes Of Malaria In Africa

Ecological factors that encourage the Anopheles mosquito, and thus also encourage the prevalence of malaria include: being near the equator, densely populated areas, warmer temperatures, standing water, maintaining water for irrigation and deforested areas. (Holy p.1)

Malaria (also called biduoterian fever, blackwater fever, falciparum malaria, plasmodium, Quartan malaria, and tertian malaria) is one of the most infectious and most common diseases in the world. This serious, sometimes-fatal disease is caused by a parasite that is carried by a certain species of mosquito called the Anopheles. It claims more lives every year than any other transmissible disease except tuberculosis. Every year, five hundred million adults and children (around nine percent of the world’s population) contract the disease and of these, one hundred million people die. Children are more susceptible to the disease than adults, and in Africa, where ninety percent of the world’s cases occur and where eighty percent of the cases

Background - Malaria is a water borne disease. It is spread by a parasite-carrying mosquito. It kills many people and reduces a country 's capacity to develop. There are different strategies to combat malaria. Around half the population is at risk of malaria and this disease is active in 106 counties across Africa, Asian and the Americas (see source 3). the global annual mortality from malaria is between 1.5 - 3 million deaths, or between 4000 and 8000 each day. Developing countries are most vulnerable to Malaria and as shown on source 2 Malaria has been spread across many various other countries including in Europe, but these countries have eradicated Malaria.

Engulfing the Congo and the Sub-Saharan regions of the African peninsula, a new threat has emerged; lying below the mucky surface of a deforested plain, a killer has taken root. At risk is half of the world’s population who reside in the 106 countries and territories that are prone to plasmodium falciparum transmission. Who is this killer? Anopheles gambiae complex, which has devastated the African region acting as a vector for the parasite plasmodium falciparum, more commonly referred to as malaria. Why has a parasite that is responsible for approximately half of all recorded deaths relatively unheard of in Western civilization? The answer lies with the deforestation and non-sustainable practices that plague the African union.

Most widespread areas are in the tropics, where malaria is often a major cause of

For starters, deforestation leaves behind many perfect breeding sites for the infected mosquitoes. Cutting down trees leaves many areas for water to pool together, whether it is in a left behind tree stump, a ditch from a fallen log, or just on the ground due to few roots absorbing the rainwater (Uneke, 2009). These water spots make perfect breeding spots for the vectors, especially if the water gets warmer due to the lack of shade from the trees being cut down (Austin, 2013). Also an effect of the increased sun exposer is a rise in temperature in general (Uneke, 2009). When the temperature in deforested areas goes up the mosquitoes and parasites are both able to have faster growth cycles, which leads to more parasites and more mosquitoes to transmit the disease (Uneke, 2009). According to Kelly Austin, another viable connection between deforestation and malaria is the loss of bird species. When forests are cut down many different animals lose their habitats, including birds. Considering that birds are a predator for mosquitoes, Austin was able to find that a decrease in the number of birds did lead to an increase in the occurrence of malaria (Austin,

Malaria can be treated using both vaccines and other prescription drugs. In developed countries this has effectively negated Malaria as a public health threat. For instance, in the United States there are only 1500 cases of malaria per year, all of which are linked to travel to tropical regions in Africa and South America. Unfortunately, less developed regions do not have the proper infrastructure to produce, store or distribute these drugs. Third-world efforts are focused on prevention rather than treatment. The majority of Malaria funding is allocated to two different prevention concepts, Insecticide Treated Nets (ITN’s) and Indoor Residual Spraying (IRS). Nets are made of finely woven fabrics which provide a physical barrier between infected mosquitoes and humans. Mosquitoes which land on the nets absorb insecticide which kills them. Nets can be costly, and have a high rate of misuse, as many villagers use them to fish. The alternative to ITN’s is the practice of Indoor Residual Spraying of insecticides. This is very effective in sprayed areas, but is stationary and poisonous to the

From the beginning of human history, we, as a species, have made an extreme effort to adapt. Through famine, drought, and war, we miraculously found a way to survive 200,000 years and dominate almost every continent (Shillington 13). One of the key methods to our survival throughout history is our understanding of diseases. Though it would take us tens of thousands of years to understand exactly what diseases are, we did notice that certain areas were more likely to make people sick and that these places were to be avoided at all costs. A prime example of this is the avoidance of swamps in early Africa due to sleeping sickness. Spread by the tsetse fly, sleeping sickness is a disease fatal to humans as well as livestock. When it was noticed that these blood sucking flies rarely left swampy areas, early humans learned to avoid these them, which in turn lowered the amount of deaths cause by sleeping sickness (Shillington 26). However, not all diseases are solved simply by moving locations. In modern day Africa, one of the deadliest diseases is malaria. Being carried by mosquitos, malaria can exist almost anywhere on the continent. According the Doctor’s Without Boarders, a child in Africa dies of malaria every minute (Doctors Without Boarders). Though larger countries have the ability and resources to fight malaria, younger countries are finding difficulties eliminating this disease. One of these

It has been estimated that 609 million people in Africa are at risk of having malaria (Mabaso et al 2007, p. 35). Almost 34% of the populations in Zambia live in endemic risk areas, while 48% of the populations are in epidemic risk (Guerra et al., 2008, p.54; WHO

In areas where malaria thrives, human populations have been known to suffer in its clutches. Malaria is a tropical disease that causes thousands of deaths worldwide. However, a majority of malaria cases and deaths occur in Sub-Saharan Africa. The prevalence of malaria in African countries places a heavy burden on its people and affects all aspects of society. Considered both a consequence and a fundamental cause of poverty, malaria has a host of negative effects that hinder the growth and well-being of the African population.

Malaria is an infectious disease carried by mosquitos which is endemic to many tropical and subtropical regions, predominantly Northern Africa. Since 1980, data has been systematically collected in an attempt to expose true Global mortality rates; revealing both positive and negative fluctuations. However since

In addition to waterborne disease prevalence, malaria would also pose as high risk in Togo. Africa already accounts for 90% of malaria cases. Therefore, with extreme weather events resulting from climate change, this risk is heightened (Tatlock, 2006). According to the UN, “water stress plays an indirect role in curing malaria because it impedes the human recovery process” (Tatlock, 2006). Not only does malaria thrive during water scarcity, but the disease also flourishes in high temperatures and increased moisture, too. Thus, the change in climate would spike the incidence of malaria in Togo.

(References needed 2012). All these non-human factors contribute greatly to the survival and thriving of mosquito and a corresponding rise in the prevalence of morbidity and mortality of malaria in sub Saharan Africa.

The parasite that causes malaria is developing resistance to both artemisinin and piperaquine. In Vietnam, ACTs have a failure rate of 33%; in Cambodia, it is closer to 60%. Drug-resistant malaria is mostly isolated to Southeast Asia for now, but if it spread to Africa, where 92% of malaria cases occur, could be disastrous. (Gallagher, 2017). Chloroquine-resistant malaria developed in the 1950s and spread from Southeast Asia to Africa by the 1990s; it may provide insight into how artemisinin-resistant malaria may spread and endanger Africa. (Roberts, 2016)

In Nigeria, malaria is an endemic however it can be an epidemic when there is a widespread of occurrence in a particular region especially during the rainy season. It is major public health problem in Nigeria because it causes more death and cases in the country than any other in the world. It is the leading cause of death in children under the ages of 5 in Nigeria. There is an estimate of over 50 million malaria cases, 300,000