ZURICH INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL

Malaria: A RapidlySpreading Killer

J8 Summit
Hanna Ranstrand 6/4/2012

Diseases and illnesses affect families all over the globe in the way that they just arrive without consent and strip an innocent body of all its energy. Malaria is a disease putting roughly half the world at risk, transmitted by female Anopheles mosquito bites, and is one of the leading causes to death in less developed environments and communities. The symptoms that come along with the contagious protozoa are weakening, fatiguing and demanding. According to the news organization AllAfrica, there were approximately 216 million cases of malaria in 2011 (AllAfrica). Malaria cases, specifically in sub-Saharan Africa but also other continents such as Europe and Asia (see map 1 in the appendix), are rapidly increasing because children with weak immune systems are being targeted, third world areas are lacking necessary equipment for prevention, and that once diagnosed with malaria, it will have imprinted on the bodys system to the point where it will always remain. More children and generally vulnerable people because of special circumstances, especially those who are exposed to malaria daily, are being targeted by the infectious blood disease due to their weak immune systems that dont stand a chance against the microscopic yet harmful parasites being transmitted. Principally, its almost too easy to mistake malaria for something else; the symptoms can even appear up to a whole year later. As stated by the British news company BBC, for non-immunes, the symptoms appear only about 7-15 days after the bite (Macnair). Additionally, its a hard task for the weaker immune system belonging to a child to take on the heavy burden that malaria contributes. The symptoms include headache, chills, vomiting, fever, uncontrollable shivering, the list goes on and on. Thirdly, even though its hard to identify malaria in its early stages, the high-maintenance disease needs treatment within 24 hours. If not treated within that time, plasmodium falciparum may develop (a case of malaria leading to severe illness or death); the World Health Organization confirmed this. On the other hand, children are not the only individuals who are especially targeted by the feared disease; non and semi-immune pregnant women and newborns are also defenseless, with a higher risk of passing HIV/AIDS from mother to child. Moreover, people diagnosed with HIV/AIDS, travelers and immigrants are also the stereotypical and common status of people who contract malaria. As so many children and others have contracted malaria, cases have been rapidly increasing by numbers every day, and the amount of people being affected are too many to treat. Most communities vulnerable to malaria dont have the necessary equipment available for the crucial prevention procedures and routine check-ups. Firstly, although malaria vaccine doesnt seem too expensive, people bound to the cycle of poverty need to prioritize and contribute their low income towards other components such as food, education, etc. They cant be expected to make medication for a disease a main concern when they cant even feed their own families. As the successful TIME magazine confirmed, the manufacture, ship, and distribute of each protective insecticide-treated mosquito net is approximately $10 depending on the location (Power of One). However, the organization The Hunger Project working to aid people in poverty affirmed that 1.4 billion people in poverty live on only $1.25 a day or less (THP). On the contrary, apart from the obstacles of knowledge and cost, people might not want to be vaccinated because they fear the side effects that come along with some of the medications, such as the tablets Malarone that are recommended for preventing malaria. In clinical studies, some of the commonly reported side effects of Malarone included muscle pain, headache, vomiting, and diarrhea. However, most people were able to take the medication without any problems. Although generally well tolerated, Malarone does have the potential to cause serious reactions. (Lakey). To summarize that, people

simply might feel that their body is already too weak to take on the side effects. Furthermore, people living in poverty most probably lack the knowledge necessary to obtain these prevention services. Referring to the previous statistic, they dont have the money to support themselves and their loved ones, and pay for an education to gain this knowledge. They are simply not aware that nets and insecticide-treatments among many others are obtainable to them. Many areas would be hugely benefitted by the kind of treatment that is available, but huge obstacles such as money prevent them from getting it. Malaria is the type of illness that doesnt offer the comfort and security of complete immunity; once someone has been diagnosed with malaria, their bodily functions have been affected forever. To begin, when a malarial case involves either the feared parasites vivax and/or ovale (both quite common), clinical relapses may happen, preventing the amount of cases from decreasing. The Africa Fighting Malaria association battling to fight malaria revealed that these relapses can happen weeks to months subsequent to the initial treatment, even if the victim has left the malaria endemic area (AFM). This means that although a treatment might have been done, you havent fully eliminated malaria. Regarding people who live or are close to malarial locations, they can only develop partial immunity naturally. This fact verifies that that is no guarantee; malaria can always return for another attack on your immune system in another relapse. Malaria not only has a chance of relapsing, it can also damage the victims, specifically children, physical and mental developments throughout their upcoming life. The National Center for Biotechnology Information certified that an example of this kind of damage is kidney and liver failure, among many other options (Holding). The previous evidence proves that its worth it to attempt to prevent malaria whether youre exposed to it daily or youre just passing through a malaria endemic area, otherwise it can affect the status of your health forever. The blood-transmitted disease spread by female Anopheles mosquitoes affects many all over the planet, yet a high concentration of the cases is in sub-Saharan Africa. These people might not have the equipment available to aid them, increasing malarial cases every single day. Regarding people who are traveling through or staying in a malaria-infected location, prevention is necessary and recommended. The different possibilities to avoid contracting malaria are the following: an indoor spray containing insecticides (this is effective for 3-6 months), various antimalarial medicines (Malarone pills, etc.), chemoprophylaxis (medicine containing antibiotics that overpowers blood stage of infections, for travelers), and sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine (a combination malarial medicine for pregnant women in their third and tri-semesters, and also for children in high transmission areas), among others. To conclude, dont increase the number of cases to one more by not considering preventing malaria; taking medication might be one of the best decisions youve ever made.

Appendix Map 1

Works Cited Page Holding, P.A.. Impact of Plasmodium Falciparum Malaria on Performance of Learning: Review of the Evidence. 2001 The National Center of Biotechnology Information. 15/5/12 <http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK2614/>. Know Your World: Facts about Hunger and Poverty. The Hunger Project. 15/5/12 <http://www.thp.org/learn_more/issues/know_your_world_facts_about_hunger_and_poverty?gcli d=CNrk0-2CkrACFQrN3wode3MUog>. Lakey, Susan. Malarone Side Effects. 14/10/10 EMedTV. 25/5/12 <http://malaria.emedtv.com/malarone/malarone-side-effects.html>. Macnair, Dr Trisha. Malaria. BBC. 15/5/12 <http://www.bbc.co.uk/health/physical_health/conditions/malaria1.shtml>. Malaria. Africa Fighting Malaria. 15/5/12 <http://fightingmalaria.org/issues.aspx?issue=1>. "MALARIA - FACT SHEET [DOCUMENT]." AllAfrica. 25 Apr. 2012 eLibrary. Web. 15 May. 2012. Malaria. World Health Organization. 15/5/12 <http://www.who.int/topics/malaria/en/>. Power of One- The $10 Solution. 4/1/07 TIME Magazine. 15/5/12 <http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1574152,00.html>.

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