The Problem Of Battling 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

Yahya A. J. J. Jammeh, a team of experts from Havana’s Pedro Kourí Institute of Tropical Medicine arrived in the capital of Banjul to join the national malaria effort. “We have permanent doctors. Communities now have access to a doctor within a reasonable distance. We have found that there’s no cultural shock for the Cuban doctors. They adjust very well in our communities. Immediately they arrive, they are at home…They relate to the people. They see themselves as equals with the people. And people really appreciate that in this country - including the government. And so, they’ve done wonders, a lot of indicators have improved since the existence of the Cuban doctors in this country. It’s commendable.” says Mrs. Isatou Njie-Saidy, Gambia’s Vice President from Interview with Isatou Njie-Saidy, February 9, 2005. Not only that but the Republic of Cuba’s government and the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) have entered a partnership to employ biotechnology in eradicating malaria in

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.

The people in Malawi face an abundance of health problems every day because of their lack of knowledge about how to prevent diseases and access to treatment. In The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind, William’s mother is infected with malaria and almost dies. Malaria is the third leading cause of death in Malawi after HIV/AIDS and lower respiratory infections. However, health organizations and the Malawian government have helped control the spread of Malaria.

Malaria is a disease of the blood that is transmitted from person to person by a female

So then when they do get malaria they also don’t have the money for proper treatment. Then there is also the problem of no one wanting to donate to help find a cure to the disease.

As a social worker, one could aim to connect health care facilities in Zambia, where 1 in 5 children are dying from malaria, to Doctors without Borders, a resource sharing the privileges of modern medicine with participating countries (Harrison, et al., 2005). The doctors participating could provide the local doctors with new information on healthcare and possible prevention methods for contracting malaria including updated vaccinations and treatment. This would connect those without access to such resources to good healthcare and promote social justice by potentially decreasing the child mortality rate of children with

Mainly I chose Malaria as my research topic because I love learning about parasites and their behavior. Also I chose it because it is a common disease in Sri Lanka, which is where I come from and also because one of my best friends died from malaria. I want to know why malaria mostly spread in poor countries such as Africa, India, and Peru. Another reason I chose malaria as my topic because one day I want to become a doctor and help people live in poor countries.

In Kenya, an African country that is affected by Plasmodium falciparum, the most aggressive of the four species of malaria, the negative economic impact of malaria can be clearly seen. Malaria-related GDP losses reached 2-6% of the total economic output of the country, with 58% of those losses being in the agricultural sector and 7% in the industrial sector (Chima, 2003). When workers or their children contract malaria, they are unable to go to work, work effectively, or spend money on things other than treatment (Chima, 2003). In other words, malaria acts as a drain on both the productivity of a country, as often there is no other person available to take the place of the absent worker. Furthermore, the costs of finding alternates to replace workers who have fallen ill, or must take care of their children is placed squarely on the shoulders of businesses, while the individual who contracted malaria, or must care for someone who has malaria is unable to both earn money for their absent days, as well as spend money in areas other than the treatment of malaria, thus stimulation only a small portion of the economy, and effectively blocking the circulation of funds in the economy to their fullest extent (Chima, 2003).

Global health refers to all aspects of a system concerning health. It takes into account history and political economy to help us understand "the skewed distributions of wealth and illness around the globe" (Farmer). Medical anthropologists studying in this field analyze the contributions by such factors and work to solve health problems with "an interdisciplinary approach" (Farmer). Describing the forces that cause millions each year to fall ill to Malaria, a preventable and treatable disease, requires what Farmer calls a biosocial approach – analyzing how changing social structures that transcend national and other administrative boundaries affect health (Farmer).

Within Afghanistan, the major sources of treatment for Malaria can be accessed in hospitals, through aid stations which include volunteer workers which enter the boarder from around the world and the world famous Human rights organisation United Nation. The first major strategy used to combat Malaria is the use of vector control, where the numbers of mosquitos or mosquito bites are reduced. Because of the low socio-economic state of

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

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

Poverty is a very big issue in Africa, North of South America and Asia. This is because these countries in these continents are less economically developed (LEDC). Due to this the people are more vulnerable to catching diseases and dying. Africa has the highest amount of poverty leading to 91% of death to be cause by malaria. The reason for these deaths is because the government is finding it difficult to come up with the money to buy the correct medicine. Countries around the Sub Saharan region spend 40% of its health budget on Malaria. The area of that has the highest amount of death due to malaria and poverty is the Middle East with 38,000 annually, closely followed by Asia with 36,000.