Malaria Is A Threat Of Malaria

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

falciparum, whereas in most other countries with malaria transmission, other, less virulent plasmodial species predominate. Almost every malarial death is caused by P. falciparum.[ Malaria is caused by an infection with protozoa of the genus Plasmodium. The name malaria, from the Italian mala aria, meaning "bad air", comes from the linkage suggested by Giovanni Maria Lancisi (1717) of malaria with the poisonous vapours of swamps. This species name comes from the Latin falx, meaning "sickle", and parere meaning "to give birth". The organism itself was first seen by Laveran on November 6, 1880 at a military hospital in Constantine, Algeria, when he discovered a microgametocyte exflagellating. Patrick Manson (1894) hypothesised that mosquitoes could transmit malaria. This hypothesis was experimentally confirmed independently by Giovanni Battista Grassi and Ronald Ross in 1898. Grassi (1900) proposed an exerythrocytic stage in the life cycle, later confirmed by Short, Garnham, Covell and Shute (1948), who found Plasmodium vivax in the human liver.

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.

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.

The symptoms vary because patients are diagnosed with having either uncomplicated or severe malaria. This is due to the fact that different kinds of malaria range in severity. For instance, ,P. falciparum and P. knowlesi infections can cause rapidly progressive severe illness and lead to death death while the other species, P. malariae, P. vivax, or P. ovale are less likely to cause such severe manifestations. Furthermore, P. vivax and P. ovale infections also require treatment for the hypnozoite forms that remain dormant in the liver and can cause a relapsing infection. Finally, P. falciparum and P. vivax species have varying drug resistance patterns in different geographic regions. For P. falciparum and P. knowlesi infections, the urgent initiation of appropriate therapy is especially

There have been many attempts at preventing malaria, none of which have been very successful. These have usually involved protecting human beings from mosquitoes, the dreaded carriers

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

This happens to contain some of the most destitute regions of the world including Sub-Saharan Africa. Sub-Saharan Africa was home to 89% of malaria cases and 91% of malaria deaths. Increased prevention and control measures have led to a 60% reduction in malaria mortality rates globally since 2000.

The illness associated with the malaria parasite was first thought to be a result of poisonous mists drifting from marshes hence its name meaning “bad air” in Italian. Of course it was unbeknownst back then that it was actually caused by the female anopheles mosquito which tends to live near still water such as marshes.2 Although it was unknown what actually caused the symptoms of malaria,

Since 2013, the UK has a populations of 63,136 thousands, with a median age of 40 years. The number of births in the country is 770.3 thousands, while the number of deaths is 560 thousands. The at-birth life expectancy for both sexes is currently 81, while women appear to have a higher life expectancy than males. Despite the late life expectancy age, there are a number of diseases that greatly influence the UK’s health status.

Malaria is a major public health problem in most of the tropical regions of the world including Papua New Guinea (PNG). As stated by Allen et al., 1996 “In many tropical and sub-tropical regions, malaria remains a major cause of mortality” (Allen et al., 1996: pg1). In Papua New Guinea, being at the risk of getting infection is very high because studies reported that 90% of the total population are at the risk of being infected (Pulford, 2012: pg1). As a result, the highest out patients complains reported in PNG is malaria and is one of the leading cause of deaths, even it’s a preventable and curable disease (Pulford, Mueller et al., 2012: pg1). It will take a long time to eliminate malaria in PNG because of the geography of the country. There are a lot of swampy areas creating an environment conducive for the anopheles mosquito to breed. Therefore, malaria can only be controlled. Control measure such as vector control and personal protection have been carried out in the last eight years by the PNG National Department of Health (NDoH) under the Global Fund to fight AIDs, tuberculosis and Malaria (GFATM) program (Hetzel, Gideon et al., 2012: pg2) however, there seem to still be a need for increased net usage across the country. Therefore, is the intervention in encouraging Insecticide Treated mosquito nets usage among febrile patients in PNG effective?

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.