Malaria Is A Preventable Disease

Moreover, when examining the intersection between the medical impacts of malaria on the human and the social consequences, a vicious cycle is revealed in which the body, the community, and the economy are all similarly impacted by the presence of malaria in a

It tropical and sub-tropical climates temperature, humidity, and rainfall work together to create a breeding ground for mosquitoes. Mosquitoes are a host for communicable diseases one in particular is called malaria. Malaria is a parasitic disease that infects a particular type of mosquito, Anopheles mosquitoes, which feeds on humans. People who get malaria are typically very sick with high fevers, shaking chills, and flu-like illness. Although malaria can be a deadly disease, illness and death from malaria can usually be prevented (Global Health - Division of

Mosquitoes pass malaria to humans through their salivary glands. Once the parasites have entered the blood stream, they go to the liver. In the liver they mature and undergo reproduction, forming merozoites. These merozoites enter the blood stream and inject themselves into red blood cells. Once inside the blood cells, they reproduce rapidly and within forty-eight to seventy-two hours, the blood cell bursts, releasing hemoglobin into the blood stream. It is the destruction of these blood cells and the hemoglobin released into the blood stream that actually causes most of the symptoms.

Ninety percent of all malaria deaths occur in sub-Saharan Africa, which is the location and region of where this issue affects. In a concentrated effort to treat malaria since 2000, 700 million cases have been stopped in Africa, bringing the number of cases down by almost fifty percent. This pleasant news is the result of human interaction. Since the introduction of bed nets, malaria death rates have dropped by sixty percent, saving six million lives. All this progress has to be credited to the scientists who got notified by their respective countries when deaths constantly occur in a certain area through communication. Shortly after getting notified, the researchers travel to sub-Saharan Africa, which requires movement, to analyze the situation

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

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.

The United Nations has declared 2000-2010 the "decade to roll back malaria." The social, economic and human effects of this disease are dramatic: 40% of the world's population is currently at risk for malaria, and it kills an African child every 30 seconds(7). The presence of malaria, as that of most other endemic tropical diseases, is directly related to the precarious living conditions of people in developing countries, but is also a cause that hinders growth and development, "In Africa today, malaria is understood to be both a disease of poverty and a cause of poverty." (6). This essay aims to show the connections between disease and society in specific regards to malaria, as well as the need for a

Malaria is found around the equator, mostly on the continent of Africa. 3.6 billion people live in Malaria exposed areas. That means about 50% of the population is exposed, while 300-400 million people get it every year. Malaria is a parasite, meaning it really isn’t a disease. Mosquitoes spread the Malaria parasite by biting an infected person. When they do that they take the blood containing the parasite, and the parasite then lives in it saliva. Then the next time the bite someone, the parasite then travels into its’ next host. Malaria can only thrive in areas that are warm because it has to live all year to be able to spread.

Malaria is one of the most significant infectious disease burdens worldwide. The disease especially targets the most vulnerable groups, namely infants and children, and accounts for approximately 20% of childhood deaths in Africa. Many people living in countries where malaria is endemic are unable to afford, or do not have access to, medications needed for treatment, which contributes to high morbidity and mortality. Furthermore, malaria has a devastating economic impact, with gross domestic products decreasing up to 1.3% in highly affected countries. The World Health Organization concluded through their research that malaria is the fifth biggest killer in sub-Saharan Africa.

Imagine walking into a foreign country in hopes to help eradicate malaria, but when you speak to the natives they talk about it as if it’s the common cold. From our western knowledge, you hear malaria and associate it with pain and suffering. For eastern cultures it’s a part of their daily reality that they’ve come to accept, but this is a major drawback in the eradication of malaria. This misconception due to lack of education and a democracy in underdeveloped countries harms global health efforts to eradicate malaria. There are four most common types of malaria, two that are survivable and one that is deadly. In undeveloped countries, it is seen that those who survive malaria are stronger or lucky, and those who die were weaker. This

Malaria is caused by a parasite that is transmitted to a person through the bites of an infected female Anopheles mosquito. Like other mosquitos, Anopheles goes through four stages in their life cycle: egg, larva, pupa, and adult. The first three phases are in water and last 5-14 days, based on the species and the ambient temperature. The last phase is when the female Anopheles mosquito functions as malaria vector. The female Anopheles mosquitoes need a stagnant, polluted environment to reproduce. This is

Following the infected female Anopheles mosquito bite the incubation period varies. The type of Plasmodium parasite responsible for the infection plays a big factor in the time frame. Antimalarial drugs may also increase the length of the Malaria incubation period. Estimated time frame is 9-14 days for Plasmodium falciparum, 12-18 days for Plasmodium vivax and Plasmodium ovale and 18-40 days for Plasmodium malarie. Delays between exposure and development of symptoms in patients can result in misdiagnoses or delayed diagnosis because of reduced clinical suspicion of the healthcare provider (CDC, 2017. It’s important to remind healthcare providers of any recent travel within 12 months to any malaria endemic areas.

According to the CDC, in 2010 there were over 216 million cases of malaria that resulted in the 655,000 deaths (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2012). The incidence of malaria and the concomitant death toll illustrate the acute need for effective measures of prevention. Furthermore, over 91% of the deaths from malaria occur in Africa and furthering the case of preventative measures (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2012). Transmission of malaria via mosquitos illustrates the difficulty in both containment and eradication of the public health risk.

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)

Approximately 3.3 billion people are at risk of being infected by and developing malaria today, despite massive international efforts to control the transmission of malaria (World Health Organization [WHO], 2014). Malaria has led to 584,000 deaths, and 189 million people are infected with malaria globally in 2013. The burden of disease is heaviest in the sub-Saharan Africa, where 90% of all malaria deaths occur. Malaria in African disproportionately affects the children under the age of five and is responsible for over 430,000 children deaths every year. The purpose of this discussion is to identify the social and economic impact of malaria in Zambia, the resource allocation in alleviating the burden of the disease, and the progress made for fighting the disease.