Malaria
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Abstract
This article contains information on various aspects of malaria. Extensive online research was done on this disease that has continued to plague millions in several countries worldwide. This research deduced information about the disease’s history and the cost of the epidemic to people and governments globally. This article also contains information about the causes and the modes of transmission of malaria and morbidity and mortality information. It begins with a general introduction to the scourge.
Introduction
The name “malaria” sends shivers down the spines of many people around the world today. The disease has been identified as a global killer, and it continues to claim the lives of hundreds of thousands of people across the world today. Governments and non-governmental organizations have joined hands and participated in collaborative efforts in the fight against this public health nightmare. This article addresses some of the most pertinent issues and the most frequently asked questions regarding the disease.
Q1 part 1: What is malaria, its history, and its costs, monetarily or otherwise, to society?
What is malaria?
Malaria is a potentially life-threatening disease. The most common way that people acquire this disease is through the bite of a female anopheles mosquito, and in so doing, passing the Plasmodium parasite into the bloodstream of the host. It is usually classified as a communicable or infectious disease because when a mosquito bites an infected person, it may then bite a healthy person, and in so doing, transmit the disease to the healthy person.
History of malaria
The cinchona bark had, for many years, been used as a treatment for malaria. However, it was not until 1820 that quinine, the active ingredient against malaria, was identified, purified, and isolated. Charles Louis Alphonse Laveran first identified the malaria parasite in 1880. For this monumental discovery, he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1907. Around 1897, Sir. Ronald Ross discovered that the malaria parasite resided in the female anopheles mosquito (Packard, 2007). He also proved that the bite of this mosquito was the cause of transmission of malaria. His efforts led to his winning of the 1902 Nobel Prize. Chloroquine, an antimalarial drug, was discovered by Hans Andersag in 1934, and the first case of resistance of the parasite to this drug was documented in 1957. In the 1950s, malaria was eliminated in the USA, and it has subsequently been eliminated in several other regions of the world (Packard, 2007). Malaria vaccine development began in the 1960s. In 2008, April 25 was adopted by the United Nations as the world malaria day.
Cost of malaria
Malaria continues to exert a great economic burden on countries around the world. The cost of malaria can be subdivided into direct causes and indirect causes. The direct costs of malaria include the expenditures in the treatment and the prevention of the disease. The direct costs of malaria around the world are estimated at 12 billion US dollars annually. The indirect costs of malaria entail the lost productivity and the lost income related to suffering or dying from the disease. Malaria slows African countries’ economic growth by about 1.3% every year (Gallup and Sachs, 2001).
Q1 part 2: What is the etiology of malaria?
Causes of malaria
There are 5 varieties of the Plasmodium parasite that have been identified as causative species for malaria. These include Plasmodium falciparum, Plasmodium malariae, Plasmodium vivax, Plasmodium ovale, and Plasmodium knowlesi. The greatest threat is posed by P. falciparum and P. vivax (Boyd, 2020). Falciparum malaria can progress to a severe neurological condition that is referred to as cerebral malaria. The plasmodium parasite can be transmitted in several different modes or ways.
Modes of transmission of malaria
As already elucidated, malaria’s main mode of transmission is through the bite of the female anopheles mosquito. Malaria can also be transmitted through the transfusion of infected blood. For this reason, it is a requirement that blood for transfusion is screened not only for malaria parasites but also for other pathogens. Another mode of transmission is through the sharing of transmitted needles and syringes. Nowadays, medical practitioners must use disposable needles and syringes or make sure that they are sterilized before being used on a patient to prevent this type of disease transmission. Drug abusers who share needles and syringes are likely to acquire malaria and other communicable diseases since they often do not take the required precautionary hygiene measures. The final mode of transmission of malaria is from a mother to a child during or before childbirth. This mode of transmission is referred to as congenital transmission. Congenital malaria is a life-threatening condition. All in all, malaria is a very infectious disease.
Q1 part 3: Morbidity and mortality of malaria
Morbidity of malaria
The infection rate of malaria varies from country to country. Nigeria and the Democratic Republic of Congo have the highest morbidity rates in the world today. On the other hand, some countries like the United States of America have eliminated the scourge. According to the World Health Organization, there were 229 million cases of malaria in 2019. This represents an infection rate of approximately 0.03% or 30 infections for every 1000 people. Infection prevalence is highest in sub-Saharan Africa and Southeast Asia (Shah, 2010). If not treated early and efficiently, malaria infection may result in death.
Mortality of malaria
According to (Herchline 2020), malaria claims 1-3 million lives every year. The mortality rate is usually highest in children who are below five years of age. UNICEF estimates that a child dies of malaria every two minutes. Owing to the concerted efforts that have been put in place to fight malaria, the mortality rate has gradually decreased over the past few decades, and it is on a downward trend. Sub-Saharan Africa usually has the highest mortality rates, followed by India.
Figure 1: Trends in mortality rates of malaria source: ourworldindata.com
Bibliography
[1] Herchline, T. E. (2020, June 3). What is the mortality rate of malaria? Medscape. https://www.medscape.com/answers/221134-40790/what-is-the-mortality-rate-of-malaria
[2] Packard, R. M. (2007). The Making of a Tropical Disease: A Short History of Malaria (Johns Hopkins Biographies of Disease) (Illustrated ed.). Johns Hopkins University Press.
[3] Boyd, M. F. (2020a). An Introduction to Malariology (First Edition). Harvard University Press.
[4] Gallup, J. L., & Sachs, J. D. (2001). The economic burden of malaria. The American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, 64(1_suppl), 85–96. https://doi.org/10.4269/ajtmh.2001.64.85
[5] Shah, S. (2010). The Fever: How Malaria Has Ruled Humankind for 500,000 Years (Reprint ed.). Sarah Crichton Books.