Malaria, that can be transmitted by mosquitoes
Malaria.
If any disease swept the northern hemisphere creating 241 million cases and causing 627,000 deaths in one year, the panic would be on a scale far superior to the hysteria over Influenza A H1N1.
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Yet because 90 per cent of the malaria cases are in Africa, the disease goes largely unreported in media circles. There is some good news…but also warnings of a “global catastrophe” caused by a new multi-resistant variant.
According to the World Health Organization, 243 million cases of malaria caused 863,000 deaths, 90 per cent of these in Africa. One African child dies of malaria every thirty seconds.
Malaria, Good news.
However, there is good news. According to the World Malaria Report, produced by the WHO, increased funding to fight the disease caused by the female Anopheles mosquito has started to show dramatic results. Funding increased from 730 million to 1.7 billion USD, which allowed.
The healthcare authorities to distribute more Insecticide-Treated Nets (ITNs) and artemisinin-based medicinal therapies (ACTs). The result of this is that over one third of the worst affected nations in Africa have reduced the number of infections by over 50 per cent.
At least one third of the 108 countries affected by malaria (nine in Africa and 29 in Latin America and Asia) have reported reductions of over 50 per cent in cases.
Director General, stated upon the publication of the report that this funding is having a profound effect on healthcare delivery “especially the health of children in Sub-Saharan Africa.
“While much remains to be done, the data presented here clearly suggests that the tremendous increase in funding for malaria control is resulting in the rapid scale-up of today’s control tools,” she said.
However, the funding received still falls far short of the 5 billion USD needed annually to fight the disease and meet the commitments stated under the Millennium Development Goals, namely the target to reverse the incidence of malaria.
Malaria, Symptoms.
The symptoms of malaria after infection by the protozoan P. Falciparum are characterized by headaches, fatigue, fever and nausea. After several days, sweating and tremors, followed by high fever (39 to 40^(o)C) take place as toxins are released into the bloodstream, the onset usually appearing at night.
The violent tremors last between 15 minutes to an hour, after which the fever rises to 41^(o)C for two to six hours, during which time the patient sweats profusely. There follows a period of a few days without symptoms, then a relapse. Complications can cause serious lesions in the brain, liver or kidneys and lead to death.
Malaria, Worrying development.
However, not all is rosy. A variant form of Malaria has been identified in Cambodia, resistant to treatment by artemisinin. Scientists from the WHO declared recently that this variant must be contained otherwise a “global catastrophe” could take place.
In Cambodia, there are many documented cases of resistance to ACTs, which take twice the normal time to remove the malaria parasites from the bloodstream.
The prevalence of malaria.
Malaria is most common in sub-Saharan Africa, where an estimated 94% of malaria cases and deaths occurred in 2020. Other regions with high malaria burden include the Indian subcontinent, Southeast Asia, and Latin America.
The burden of malaria is particularly high among children under the age of 5, who accounted for an estimated 67% of all malaria deaths in 2020. Pregnant women are also at increased risk of severe malaria and related complications.
Efforts to control and eliminate malaria have made significant progress in recent years, with a 27% reduction in global malaria cases between 2010 and 2020.
However, the COVID-19 pandemic has posed significant challenges to these efforts, and further work is needed to achieve the WHO’s goal of a 90% reduction in malaria cases and deaths by 2030.
What diseases are transmitted by mosquitoes?
Mosquitoes are known to transmit a variety of diseases to humans, including:
Malaria.
A parasitic disease caused by Plasmodium parasites and transmitted by the Anopheles mosquito.
Dengue fever.
A viral disease transmitted by Aedes mosquitoes that causes high fever, severe headache, joint and muscle pain, and rash.
Zika virus.
A viral disease transmitted by Aedes mosquitoes that can cause fever, rash, joint pain, and conjunctivitis, and can lead to birth defects if contracted during pregnancy.
Chikungunya.
A viral disease transmitted by Aedes mosquitoes that causes fever, joint pain, and rash.
Yellow fever.
A viral disease transmitted by Aedes mosquitoes that can cause fever, chills, headache, muscle aches, and vomiting.
West Nile virus.
A viral disease transmitted by Culex mosquitoes that can cause fever, headache, body aches, and occasionally a skin rash or swollen lymph glands.
These are just a few examples of the many diseases that can be transmitted by mosquitoes. It’s important to take measures to protect yourself from mosquito bites, such as wearing protective clothing and using mosquito repellent.
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