Human Civilization : A Disease Of The Blood Caused By The Plasmodium Parasite

Malaria is a very contagious parasite transmitted through mosquitoes to humans. Those at risk are individuals living in areas conducive to the breeding of mosquitoes, especially those that allow the mosquitoes to complete their growth cycle. Everyone is at risk

Malaria has been in existence for thousands of years. Many historical records show that it has affected human civilization greatly by plaguing and causing mass death. The earliest record can be traced back to 2700 BC in China (Cox, 2002). It has been long associated with swamps and insects for hundreds of years but often believed to be the air from swamps causing the plague. The term malaria rooted from two Italian words ‘mala’ and ‘aria’ which literally means bad air. Humanity did not know the true nature of the long thought disease until 1894 when a Scottish physician, Sir Ronald Ross, discovered that it was actually the parasite in mosquito that is causing the malaria.

Malaria is an ancient disease caused by parasites in the genus Plasmodium. Mosquitoes infected with a malaria parasite have been found preserved in approximately 30-million-year-old amber (Mehlhorn, et al.), and the malaria antigen has been detected in the tissues of Egyptian remains dating back to 3200 BC (Miller, et al.). There are many examples where malaria epidemics have had a significant impact on human history, and this is especially evident during the many wars throughout history. As far back as the fourth century A.D., Attila the Hun’s invasion of Rome was stopped because of malaria (Kakkilaya). During the Revolutionary War, malaria helped the Americans win their independence because many of the British armies were too sick to fight (McNiell). During World War I, British, French, German, and American armies were unable to fight because of malaria (Kakkilaya). A French commanding general when ordered to attack was reported to have replied, “Regret that my army is in hospital with malaria” (Kakkilaya). In World War II, early during the Pacific campaign, more soldiers fell to malaria than to enemy (“Institute of Medicine”). Malaria Control in War Areas (MCWA) was founded in 1942 to control malaria near military training bases in the United States ("Our History - Our Story"). After World War II, MCWA went on to become the Center for Disease Control (CDC). Because the South was where most malaria transmission occurred and was where the MCWA had been

Plasmodium falciparum is a protozoan parasite. It is unique of the class of Plasmodium that is the foundation and cause malaria in individuals. There are other Plasmodium species that can cause malaria in humans. Nevertheless P. falciparum is the most common, virulent, and deadly. P. falciparum communicable by the female Anopheles mosquito.

In the article” When mosquitoes were killers in America” by Lauren Tarshis, there is evidence that discussed how mosquitoes were far more than a nuisance. The article talked about the symptoms of having malaria. Tarshis said,”Those who become sick get high fevers, bone - rattling chills, and painful muscle aches.” It must have been very painful for people in the olden days who had malaria. The current generation is very lucky because there are medicines that reduce pain. Malaria is a deadly disease caused by mosquitoes sucking blood and transferring the blood to another human's body. Tarshis talked about how many people die in a year due to mosquitoes. The article says” In this way, bite by itchy bite, 212 million people are infected with malaria

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.

Fortunately this may all change as for the first time there is talk of wiping out malaria, mostly if not entirely from human existence. To first understand how this is possible, we must first discuss why is malaria, such a big problem and why is it so efficient in what it does. Malaria is commonly found parasites, including Plasmodium falciparum, P. vivax, P. ovale, and P. these parasites commonly infects mosquitoes which feed off of the blood of various animals including humans. Interestingly, only female mosquitos are able to host the parasites needed to spread malaria. When the mosquito puncture people with their hypodermic like nose to drink the blood, typically a bit of the blood is regurgitated and when this is done, some of the mosquito spit is also put back into the person. In the spit exists the parasites which are responsible for the symptoms of malaria. Once the parasites are in the body, they will begin to make their way to the liver and eventually infect a large amount of liver cells until the parasites are mature. Once some of the parasites are mature, some will enter the bloodstream while others will remain dormant within the liver to ensure that not all of the parasites are

A general factors that effects the transmission of disease is the weather of countries. For example, in Africa the weather is really hot which means mosquitos are able to survive through bites? Malaria would be spread through the bites of the mosquitos. Therefore, many people that are suffering from malaria in Africa spend most of their income of treatments. Even though malaria has been eliminated from temperature climates, it will still affect the sub-tropical and tropical regions. Malaria is one of the major public health challenges due to poor counties. However, people that have high incomes will be able to prevent themselves rather than suffering from the disease. Not being able to pay for vaccine is the biggest factor as it affects

Plasmodium a single-cell parasitic protozoa is transmitted to humans via the bite of an infected female Anopheles species mosquitoes. This can lead to potentially fatal parasites, rapidly multiplying in the liver attacking red blood cells resulting in symptoms arising from cycles of fevers, chills, severe headaches, vomiting, jaundice and diarrhoea. One major disastrous symptom includes sweats accompanied by anaemia, cause damages to vital organs and interruption of blood supply to the brain, which could result in incurable illness leading to fatal death. In very severe cases it can cause seizures, comas or even death. Symptoms usually present between ten to fifteen days after the initial infection. Unlike other diseases, Malaria can represent in people months or even years later. Death rate is approximately 1%-5% due to the spread of Malaria in Afghanistan, affecting each and everyone.

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

Populations that are more susceptible to this illness includes children, pregnant women, HIV/AIDs patients and those who travel often [1]. These population groups are more prone to infection because they have lower immunity to the disease. Adults who have been exposed to the parasite before may develop naturally acquired immunity, which is why young children who has less exposure are more likely to be infected and to die from the disease [4]. In addition, people who travel often not only have a higher chance of becoming infected due to increased exposure to the parasite, but they may also bring the parasite to countries where Malaria has been eliminated. As a result, mosquitos that bites infected individuals may reproduce and spread the parasite to other people.

“3.4 billion People live in areas at risk of malaria transmission (“About Malaria” 2015). While Malaria isn’t as common as it used to be, there is still a severe threat associated with it in third world countries. Symptoms can be hidden for up to 15 days, which can make diagnosing and curing the disease hard. In countries where Malaria is very uncommon, symptoms can be mistaken for viruses such as the flu, or a variety of infections.

About 3.3 billion people, that is about half of the world’s population are at risk of contracting malaria (figure 1). Every year there are 250 million cases of malaria, and nearly 1 million deaths. That amounts to 2,732 deaths per day. Out of those million people that die every year, 800,000 of them are African children under the age of 5. To control malaria three actions need to be taken: insecticides need to be used to decrease the vector population, people have to be educated as to how to prevent the vector from reproducing, and anti-malarial drugs need to be distributed. To understand the vector and what the vector is, scientists had to first discover what the parasite was and how it worked. It was not until the year 1880 that French Physician Charles Laveran discovered that Malaria was caused by a protozoan in the genus Plasmodium (Malaria, 2013)

Malaria is one of the ten most common, yet deadly diseases in the world. It is a parasitic disease spread by the bite of Anopheles mosquito, which is active between dusk and dawn. Malaria occurs in over 100 countries and territories.