Malaria is an important public health disease endemic in over a hundred countries globally. About 90% of malaria deaths occur in Africa with a child dying every forty five seconds. Malaria accounts for 16% of child deaths in the Africa (Remme, Binka & Nabarro 2001) and 7% of deaths in children worldwide (WHO 2010). It is a disease of poverty, causing significant constraint to the economic growth of susceptible nations (WHO 2010; Sachs, Malaney 2002). Globally, numerous malaria control programmes have been initiated to eliminate and eradicate the disease. In this context, eradication refers to a reduction in the global incidence of malaria to zero, such that its does not require any further control interventions. Elimination refers to a reduction in the incidence of malaria to a level that doesn’t constitute any significant public health burden, but still requires some form of control and surveillance (Heymann 2006). One limitation towards elimination and eradication of malaria is resistance. Resistance occurs when the efficacy of a control measure is reduced due to prolonged exposure of the malaria parasite and /or vector to sub-therapeutic doses of an intervention (Hemingway, Field & Vontas 2002).
The Roll Back Malaria (RBM) initiative was established in 1998 to strengthen health systems in malaria endemic countries and ensure that effective treatment and prevention tools are available and accessible. (Nabarro, Tayler 1998)
This paper will evaluate critically RBM’s use of Insecticide Treated Nets (ITN's) in Africa, examine the health promotion model underpinning its implementation and highlight the successes and failures associated with the programme.
Aims and Objectives of RBM:
RBM is a partnership of over ninety organ...
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...0: Africa Update.
WHO 2010, Malaria Fact Sheet [Homepage of World Health Organisation], [Online]. Available: http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs094/en/ [2010, 05/29] .
WHO 1986, , The Ottawa Charter for Health Promotion [Homepage of World Health Organisation], [Online]. Available: http://www.who.int/healthpromotion/conferences/previous/ottawa/en/ [2010, 6/17/2010] .
WHO 2010, Global Malaria Programme Insecticide-treated mosquito nets: a position statement [Homepage of WOrld Health], [Online]. Available: http://www.who.int/malaria/publications/atoz/itnspospaperfinal/en/index.html [2010, 6/16/2010] .
WHO 2000, The Abuja Declaration and Plan of Action: an extract of the African summit on Roll Back Malaria [Homepage of World Health Organisation], [Online]. Available: http://www.rollbackmalaria.org/docs/abuja_declaration_final.htm [2010, 6/17/2010].
Onwujekwe , Chima, and Okonkwo (2000) showed that the average expenditure of each household per month on malaria treatment was $1.84, which accounted for 49.87% of curative health care costs incurred by the households. In a similar study, Russell (2004) found that direct malaria cost burden was 2.9% of household income per month. Studies in Africa also showed that indirect cost based on travel time, lost labour time for adults with malaria attack or those who have to stay off work to care for children among others, make up more than 75% of total household malaria costs. Malaria tends to reduce education funds capability and has effects on school attendance (Malaney, Spielman, & Sachs,
For several years, I have had an interest in virology and the spread and characteristics of various infectious diseases. Though it makes sense not to possibly induce a state of panic by informing individuals of illnesses that are not native to the area they live in and that they are not likely to contract, I have always liked to remain informed out of my own curiosity and interest. Thus, I have decided to write about malaria.
The link between malaria and its causes has not been clearly defined, yet can largely be inferred based on the information in the colonial reports. Most colonial sources claim that rainfall is solely responsible for and directly correlated to the intensity of a Malaria outbreak in any given year. However, it becomes clear even throug...
Combining the large amount of people mobilizing to the Sahel for development and its increase of temperature and humidity within the atmosphere, the lack of exposure the Sahel has to the disease serves well to a future outbreak (Ermert el. al., 2012). This coincides with what the World Health Organization has said, stating, “Malaria epidemics can occur when climate and other conditions suddenly favor transmission in areas where people have little or no immunity to malaria” (World Health Organization, 2014). Therefore, if the study done by Ermert el. al. (2014) stays true to its predications, the Sahel region may experience a great deal of infection. Image 1 below shows the integrated weather-disease model of infectious bites per human per year that Ermert el. al. (2012) makes using regional climate models. The Sahel begins to show a large amount of malaria cases throughout the region. Consequently, this only increases the needs states have for possible recommendations that may combat this phenomenon of climate
In Nigeria the use of the community in furthering the prevention of malaria had a positive impartation of administering drugs as well as tents to the citizens. As of 2010 Malawi’s efforts of prevention and treatment of malaria in pregnant women made positive goals more than half of their citizens underwent preventative utilizations such as nets as well as doses. Both countries exhibited strategic plans of making the impact of malaria less in its citizens, addressing malaria in pregnant women living in malaria-endemic countries have been of particular interest to many National Malaria Control Programs because of the reduced immunity in pregnancy, many case studies have been conducted over the years. The control of Malaria still remains a prevalent issue in the 45 countries in Africa where it is considered and endemic, Nigeria being among the 45 inhibiting over 500 million at
Resistance to antimalarial medicines is because chemicals used in the drug like chloroquine and sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine (SP) were used commonly in the 1970s and 1980. Parasites have built a resistance to the drug over the years. The use of netting treatment with long-lasting insecticide and the normal measures to prevent being bitten by the mosquitto are still the most effective ways to prevent infection by a malaria
Even with this breakthrough discovery, it was not until after World War II that serious action plans were implemented. On the global scale, a global eradication program was started in 1955 by the World Health Organization, also stated in the “Malaria: The Persistence of Disease” article previously mentioned. The program was not a full success, since areas like Africa remained a prominent issue to tackle. This program was also not a total failure, since a majority of continents had seen the effects of malaria minimized. At a more local level, the Communicable Disease Center was established in Atlanta in 1946 with its top priority being the complete elimination of malaria from southern states. In only five years, this mission became a reality. According to the article from TheScientist, drainage of swamps, managing mosquito breeding and increased usage of pesticides were main reasons for such immediate
Malaria is known to be a world wide epidemic but 90% of the deaths are in Africa (What is Malaria, 2017). Half of the world is at risk to obtain malaria especially pregnant women and young children (What is Malaria, 2017). Even though Africa is mostly
To the majority of the population in the United States, malaria feels more like a myth than a threat. Vaccinations and medicine targeting the disease are reserved for the venturesome travelers who dare to enter malaria-endemic regions. Unfortunately, for 3.2 billion people across 106 countries and territories--malaria is a very real threat, and often times fatal. Typically, malaria is found in warmer regions around the equator. However, some areas are hit harder than most. Of the 214 million clinical cases of malaria and 438,000 deaths from the disease in 2015, 88% of the cases and 90% of the deaths were from Sub-Saharan Africa. Much of these deaths could have been easily preventable with modern medicine; but unfortunately, most of those who
The most common sites of malaria-carrying mosquitoes is in tropical and subtropical areas with warm climates. Also, there must be a source of water, such as a lake, ocean, or stream, because this is where the mosquitoes breed. While Africa is the site of most malaria cases, there are a few other countries that account for some of the malaria cases. In fact, in 1990, seventy-five percent of all recorded malaria cases outside Africa were condensed in nine countries, which were India, Brazil, Afghanistan, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, Indonesia, and China. There was once a small malaria epidemic in the United States. It occurred mainly in Army families. This was because U.S. troops in other countries were not on the proper medication, contracted the disease, and brought it back to the United States.
Malaria is an ancient disease transmitted by the Anopheles mosquito that predates recorded history. Historically it was common in the swampy areas around Rome, and was believed that the tainted air in those locations made people very sick, the disease was therefore named malaria for the Latin root words bad air. Malaria is caused by small parasitic protozoa of the genus Plasmodium which infects both humans and mosquitoes in a cyclical process. It is carried by only by female mosquitoes residing in tropical and subtropical areas and is injected into unsuspecting human hosts by the bite of an infected mosquito. This particular Plasmodium is highly specific to infecting humans as we are the only vertebrates infected and the Anopheles mosquitoes are the vectors. (1). This papers main focus shall be the process by which a malarial plasmodium colonizes and infects a human host, the methods the body employs to control the infection and the continuous life cycle completed between the two hosts.
The protozoan Plasmodium falciparum is responsible for causing 500 million cases of malaria per year as well as 100-200 million deaths per year worldwide (Kuby, p438). The majority of these deaths occur in sub-Saharan Africa, especially among malnourished children. Malaria is endemic in 92 countries, where 40% of the world’s population is at risk of the disease (WHO). Documentation of malaria occurs as far back as 4000BC, with mentions of the disease on clay tablets. The name of the disease originates from the late 1800’s and is derived from ‘mal aria,’ meaning bad air. There are four members of Plasmodium that cause malaria along with P. falciparum, with P. vivax, P. ovale, P. malariae (Schaechter, p450). P. falciparum is considered the most important as it is by far the most deadly species. The primary vector of P. falciparum is the female anopheline mosquito, which uses humans as a host for blood meals. The male anopheline feeds only on plant juices, and is not a competent vector for the disease. Humans compromise the only suitable reservoir in the enzootic cycle of the protozoa (Schaechter, p450). Both the P. falciparum and Anopheles gambiae genomic sequences have been recently published (Gardner et al. Holt et al. 2002), thus giving rise to invaluable tools in the development of new and much needed anti-malarial drugs and vaccines, as well as new targets in mosquito control.
...at researchers are doing to try to eradicate malaria in underdeveloped countries such as Africa.
One of the most dangerous diseases in the world is malaria; it is caused by mosquitoes which are infected. Those types of mosquitoes which cause malaria are referred to as Anopheles. It is true that according to research, the symptoms of an individual who is infected with malaria are seen after 10 days. This may happen because some of the parasites remain dormant even after entering the human body. As it is a threatening disease it needs to be controlled and this is done through the process of controlling the mosquitoes which cause it. There are several ways of controlling the spread of malaria, which involves the process of making sure that those mosquitoes are being regulated. In this case, indoor residual spraying will be put into focus.
Malaria is one of the major problems Ghanaians are facing today. It’s one of the number one causes of death in Ghana. Malaria is a disease caused by a protozoan parasite that invades the red blood cells. The parasite is transmitted by mosquitoes which are mostly found around tropical and subtropical areas. The main causes of malaria in Ghana are poor drainage systems, poor plannings of buildings in town and cities, improper disposal of garbage, and lack of law enforcement agencies.