“The World Health Organization (WHO) has declared China malaria-free, after a 70-year effort to wipe it out. China used to report 30 million cases a year during the 1940s. Since then, eradication efforts have driven down case numbers. The country used various methods to break the cycle of transmission of the parasite via mosquitos. The […]
Month: November 2021
Kenya Uses Drones to Kill Mosquito Larvae
“Kenya has begun using drones to identify mosquito breeding sites in the country and kill them at the larval stage. Health Minister Mutahi Kagwe said the drones will help in accessing hard-to-reach areas especially in counties where malaria is prevalent. The drones will be spraying a non-toxic, bio-degradable control substance to kill mosquito larvae. This […]
‘Extra 4.7 billion’ Could Face Malaria and Dengue Fever by 2100 without Climate Action
“Mosquito-borne viruses are already emerging in previously unaffected places” “According to a study led by the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM), the number of people living in places affected by the mosquito-borne viruses could rise to 8.4 billion by the year 2070 if greenhouse gas emissions are allowed to keep rising at current levels. […]
Uganda and Rwanda Battle Misinformation and Lack of Education in Race to Roll Out Vaccine
“The vaccine is a significant step in eradicating a disease which has killed more than 409 000 in 2019, but vaccine hesitancy presents problems for the roll out in sub-Saharan Africa, writes Amanda Coakley” https://www.independent.co.uk/independentpremium/malaria-africa-vaccine-b1936130.html
Africa Welcomes New Malaria Vaccine as a “Game Changer”
“African health officials are optimistic that the world’s first malaria vaccine endorsed by the World Health Organization will “dramatically change” the way the continent of 1.3 billion people fights the disease” “The Mosquirix malaria vaccine, which GlaxoSmithKline has been working on since 1987, has limited efficacy of about 30% in preventing severe malaria and comes […]
Prevention from Malaria
“Since malaria is transmitted through the bite of the Anopheles mosquito, environmental conditions are paramount in understanding malaria vulnerabilities” (Austin 2019). Anopheles mosquitoes thrive in temperate climates around the equator where it is warm and humid. “As mosquitoes represent the disease vector for malaria, malaria vulnerabilities are deeply connected to environmental conditions. Even seemingly minor […]
Sub-Saharan Africa- High Risk due to Climate
In many temperate areas, such as western Europe and the United States, economic development and public health measures have succeeded in eliminating malaria. However, most of these areas have Anopheles mosquitoes that can transmit malaria, and reintroduction of the disease is a constant risk. Nineteen countries in sub-Saharan Africa and India carried almost 85% of the global malaria […]
The Danger of Unregulated Pharmacies & Fake Medicines
Despite the huge number of malaria cases and deaths annually in Africa, there is huge reason to believe that there is massive underreporting. It is estimated that 80% of malaria deaths go unreported (Shah 2010). “While government officials report declines in malaria, local community members perceive marked increases, and furthermore, connect heightened malaria prevalence to […]
Malaria is a Smart Parasite
When the malaria-causing Plasmodium parasite first slips into the human bloodstream, injected by the bite of an infected mosquito, it does not immediately target red blood cells. Instead, it seeks refuge inside the liver and rapidly reproduces, copying itself as many as 30,000 times in the span of 48 hours. After building strength in numbers, the […]