Malaria Issue Report

The issue I am going to be talking about in my write up is about how to prevent the transmission of malaria around the world.Malaria is a mosquito-borne, climate sensitive disease be allowd by the parasite Plasmodium.1 Malaria is ca theatrical roled by one of four species of the protoctist Plasmodium2. The Plasmodium parasites multiply in rubicund communication channel cells this drop ca spend symptoms such as fever and headache, but in severe cases the disease notify lead to death. transmissionMalaria is transmitted through the bite of an infected young-bearing(prenominal) (Anopheles) mosquito although it can be transmitted through contact lens of infected blood but this is very uncommon.3 The cycle of malaria is an Anopheles mosquito bites an infected person a clarified amount of infected blood is injectn. The plasmodium parasite grows and matures in the mosquitos gut for approximately a hebdomad in advance it indeed travels to the mosquitos salivary glands. When the mosquito next bites more or lessone, these parasites mix with the saliva, be then injected with the bite, and the transmission of malaria is complete.4Cycle in the BodyOnce in the blood, the parasites travel to the liver and enter liver cells, to grow and multiply. aft(prenominal) some while, the parasites leave the liver cells and enter red blood cells. In the red blood cells the malaria parasites continues to grow and multiply. After they mature, the infected red blood cells rupture, freeing the parasites to attack and enter other red blood cells.5SymptomsToxins released when the red cells burst, these are what cause the common symptoms of malaria, these are1. Fever2. Chills3. Flu like symptomsStatisticsAccording to the World health Organisation (WHO) malaria report 2011, there were 216 million cases of malaria and an estimated 655,000 deaths in 2010. Malaria mortality rates hurt fallen by more than 25% globally since 2000. Most deaths occur amongst children living in Afri ca where a child dies all minute of malaria and the disease accounts for approximately 22% of all childhood deaths.6Malaria is a disease that sole(prenominal) occurs in certain climates, due to the fact that malaria is passed on through mosquito bites so only certain countries and regions have the conditions that mosquitos can survive in are affected by the disease this includes sub-Saharan Africa, Asia and Latin the States as shown in the picture below7This picture shows that malaria affects countries mainly in the Southern Hemisphere, especially South America (but north of Argentina) Sub-Saharan Africa and Southern Asia.Malaria has been on the rise since the 1970s and constitutes a serious risk to health in many tropical countries.8The Problem with malaria is that it mainly affects hatful who live in LEDCs (Less Economically create Countries) the problem with this is that they cannot afford to get the healthcare to treat the disease unlike with MEDCs (More Economically Develop ed Countries) where they foundert get diseases of this kind commonly but are able to afford the healthcare.Malaria also causes a number of deaths and illnesses every year, especially in countries which suffer from a lot of poverty. This means that if parents catch the diseases then their children will be orphaned and left to fend for themselves.Solutions to the ProblemThere are some(prenominal) method actings of treating malaria and these are some of the best methods to protect us from the diseaseNetsA mosquito net protects against mosquitos, flies, and other airborne insects. Mosquito nets are the first line of defence against the deadly bite of mosquitos. The fine, see-through mesh stops insects from biting or touch on the person using the net. The mesh is fine enough to stop these insects entering the sleeping sports stadium of the person. Research has found that the latest Long Lasting Insecticidal Nets (LLINs) save lives they have been proven to cut malaria cases in childre n by half as well as reducing child deaths by 20%9. The use of these nets can also help protect other people sleeping nearby who are not sleeping under a net. Its estimated that when 80% of people sleep under a net, the whole community is protected.10Although it is vital that the people using the mosquito nets regularly check the nets for any holes big enough for insects to get through. Scientists in Senegal have been researching the success rate of mosquito nets after six million nets were distributed over five years. at bottom three weeks of the nets being introduced, the scientists found that the number of malaria attacks had started to fall it had fell by 13 times since before the nets had come in. The researchers also collected specimens of Anopheles gambiae, which is the type of mosquito species responsible for transmitting malaria to humans in Africa. amongst 2007 and 2010 the proportion of the insects with a genetic resistance rose from 8% to 48%.By 2010 the proportion of mosquitoes repellant to Deltamethrin was 37%.11TestingMalaria parasites in the blood can best be detected under a microscope, but, when this is not available malaria cases can also be quickly and accurately identified using a Rapid Diagnostic Test (RDT). RDTs are disposable blood testing kits which can be use anywhere and provide a quick result, they measure the amount of plasmodium in the blood thus showing if you have malaria or not. RDTs mean that a potentially life-saving diagnosis of malaria, which usually could only be possible in hospitals, can now be made available anywhere.12 The reliability of RDTs is a roaring diagnostic reading of 80% or in other words 4 out of 5 people tested for malaria get a correct result hazard.13Implications of the solutions to the problemThere are a number of solutions to malaria, although they do have economic and environmental implications. The solutions includeNetsThe economic problem with nets is that malaria is mainly affecting LEDCs therefore people are unable to afford the cost of buying drugs nets as they can be expensive.Environmental issues with mosquito nets are that mosquitos are possibly starting to get immune to the chemical Deltamethrin which is used in the bed nets this means that they are no longer being useful by stopping the female mosquito from biting and killing harmless insects instead. The social implications of using nets are that nets prevent people being bitten by malaria carrying mosquitos, this means that less access to health services are needed therefore less time is lost from work because of malaria.MedicinesArtemisinin-based Combination Therapies (ACTs) are therapies made by combining an extract of the Artemisia plant and another(prenominal) medicine. They are the most effective and advance treatments for malaria, and are strongly pep uped for the treatment of malaria in Africa.14 The implication to this method is that they are highly expensive to produce and take around 15 years to r esearch and develop. And comprehend as malaria mainly affects LEDCs it wouldnt be much use to them, as they will not be able to afford to buy them. Also the problem with using drugs is that a lot of testing takes mall on animals which have ethical implications along with it.Benefits/Risks of solutions to the ProblemMedicinesIn the table below there is a list of advantages and disadvantages for using different medicines for treating malariaChemoprophylaxis drugPresentationAdvantagesDisadvantagesProguanilPaludrine tablets1. Low cost2. Well tolerated3. Suitable for heavy(predicate) or breastfeeding women1. Increasing resistance of P. falciparum to chloroquine2. Large number of tablets required if taken in combinationChloroquineNivaquine syrupAvloclor tablets1.MefloquineLariam tablets1. Weekly dose2. Effective for most areas of the world3. Can be used in the last 2 trimesters of pregnancy1. Needs to be commenced 2 to 3 weeks prior to sack2. whitethorn cause neuro-psychiatric advers e eventsDoxycyclineCapsule1. Low cost2. Generally well tolerated3. Can be commenced close to departure date1. May cause photosensitivity2. May cause vaginal yeast infections in women3. Unsuitable for children under 12 yearsAtovaquone/proguanilMalarone tablets1. Well tolerated2. Can be commenced close to departure date3. Short course1. Expensive15According to the table above the advantages outweigh the disadvantages in the five different medicines, although with Doxycycline the advantages and disadvantages are in the same proportion. This would suggest that Doxycycline may not as effective anti-malarial medicine as some of the others.TestingAnother solution to the problem could be to use malaria testing kits such as the Rapid Diagnostic Tests (RDT). The benefit of this is that it can create a diagnosis in fraction of the time that a standard test takes. This means that people who have malaria can be treated a lot quicker than they usually could be by the standard method, which involv es smell at a blood sample under a microscope to detect plasmodium. An issue with RDTs is that they can be expensive for people living in LEDCs as they can range from $1.20 $13.50 per test.16The risks of RDT is that, although it is a quick test, it is not always effective at identify the plasmodium in the blood. The danger is that you may get inaccurate result, leading to you being quite unaware of having the disease, therefore getting the treatment early(a) enough to take effect.Alternative Solutions to the ProblemQuinineAnother solution to the problem which was used up until the 1930s as the only cure for malaria is quinine. It is found in the Andes Mountain range of Peru and Ecuador17. The medicinal properties to quinine has been around since the 17th century, but back then people used to chew the bark off of the cinchona tree as it was believed to be a useful treatment for malaria. Although people didnt have medicinal knowledge, due to the positive result, they thinking it w as an effective method of malaria treatment. The active ingredient is quinine which is found in the cinchona tree. Quinine works by overweight the bodys core temperature, thereby killing the plasmodium parasites that cause malaria in the red blood cells. Quinine can also be found in tonic water some doctors/ GPs may recommend drinking tonic water when going to a high risk country.VaccineA vaccination involves injecting a small harmless amount of infection into you. Finding a vaccine to protect people from malaria would be the best possible defence18. Around the world scientists are working on this important research.19 However, malaria parasite, plasmodium has proven to be adapting to the different cures and vaccines that scientists have been creating. This means that they change their characteristics as antibodies are developed. This adaptability has made purpose a vaccine especially challenging.20Currently there is no vaccine, but there are several being developed. Several pote ntial malaria vaccines are already being tested in clinical trials although no vaccine has been licensed for use.21 It will be a long wait before a vaccine is available to prevent the spread of malaria.22 Dr Sandy Douglas (Welcome Trust Clinical Research Training) at the University of Oxford said We have found a way of making antibodies that kill all different strains of malaria parasites. This is still in an early research phase the next step is to do clinical trials in people.23