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Malaria causes more than one
million deaths per year in Africa
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Malaria
remains by far one of Africa’s largest obstacles to economic development.
This devastating disease causes more than one million deaths per year, up
to 500,000 attacks of acute illness, up to 50,000 cases of neurological damage,
up to 400,000 episodes of severe anemia in pregnancy, and over 300,000
low-birth-weight babies. Amidst these alarming figures, Africa commemorated this
year’s Africa Malaria Day on April 25 under the theme of “Unite Against
Malaria”.
According
to a press statement released by the Malawi National Malaria Control Programme
(MNMCP), Malaria is still one of the major public health problems in Malawi, and
Africa as a whole, resulting in negative socio-economic development for the
inhabitants of the continent.
Storn
Kabuluzi, manager of MNMCP, said in commemoration of the Africa Malaria Day that
malaria remains a challenge despite several strategies that have been put in
place by the Malawi Ministry of Health through the Malaria Control Programme.
“The
Ministry of health is addressing the general public, especially children and
pregnant women, to use insecticide-treated mosquito nets to prevent them from
suffering from malaria after being bitten by a mosquito,” said Kabuluzi in the
press statement released.
African
States Join Hands on Africa Malaria Day
Zambia
was selected to be the country to host this year’s Africa Malaria Day where a
function uniting all the countries of the SADC (Southern African Development
Community member states) took place. Various health experts and Malaria
specialists interacted and exchanged experience on the efforts countries in the
SADC regions are doing to save lives from the major killer.
In
Malawi, about 4 million people visited health facilities in the country as
malaria outpatients in 2004. Statistics indicate that major health clinics
attended to approximately 11,000 malaria infected patients countrywide.
But
analysts have been asking how bad the problem really is. What is being done to
combat this disease and how is fundraising progressing? According to an article
published in the Journal Nature in August, 2004 Brian Greenwood, Director of the
Malaria center at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, mentioned
that there were promising signs on both fronts. However, a distinct lack
of accurate data on the disease burden is hampering the scientific assessment of
the disease’s impact and its control measures.
At
the same time, shortage of expertise and infrastructure in the health care and
research systems of poor countries is threatening their ability to implement
international initiatives. But to capitalize on the current drive to improve
control, getting better statistics on every aspect of malaria is crucial. Most
countries where malaria is endemic lack a national birth and death register. In
addition, no clinical investigations or diagnosis are done on deaths that occur
in peoples’ homes making it impossible for demographic surveys to provide
precise mortality figures.
Preventing
Malaria Through Mosquito Nets
Among
the various strategies employed to curb the disease, the Malawi government in
November 2003 reduced the price of mosquito nets to a subsidized MK400 (US$3.5)
so average Malawians could afford the nets. This led to mosquito nets being
distributed countrywide in retail shops.
One
major initiative taken by the Ministry of Health in November 2003 and 2004
during the Southern Africa Malaria Week was a demonstration on how to conduct a
free mosquito net re-treatment campaign nationwide. The result was the
availability of insecticide chemicals sold in retail markets throughout the
country making the insecticides accessible to the average Malawian.
As
a result of such efforts, the country’s mosquito net treatment rate registered
a record high of 61 percent, a drastic increase from the initial seven percent.
This gives Malawi the highest mosquito net coverage and re-treatment rate and an
edge over other Southern Africa Development Community states according to
available statistics.
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Artemisia annua provides a
rapid cure and immediate solution to the problem of drug resistance
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Prevention
More Economic Than Cure
The
recent decision by the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria to
switch its malaria grants for all African countries to support the use of
Artemisinins (antimalarials) is good news; especially since Artemisinin–based
combination therapies are several times more expensive than other antimalarial
drugs. According to Greenwood, ACTs derived from the herb Artemisia annua,
provide a rapid cure and an immediate solution to the problem of drug
resistance.
But
relying on treatment as the mainstay of control is an admission of defeat since
it demonstrates the failure to prevent infection in the first place. Better
prevention strategies must be the goal. Spraying the interior of houses with
insecticides that leave a lasting residue, insecticide-treated bed nets and
intermittent treatment in pregnancy with sulphadoxine-pyrimethamine can all
reduce the incidence of new infections. But such measures are not being used
widely enough. Few children sleep under bed nets, because of their costs,
difficulties in getting them to remote areas and ignorance about their benefits.
Despite
a lack of progress on some fronts, prospects for rolling back malaria look more
encouraging now than at any time since the global malaria eradication campaigns
of the 1950s and 1960s. Poor countries have access to increasingly large sums of
money for control from international organizations such as the Global Fund.
Malaria research is now better funded than ever, thanks to new donors such as
the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, which has injected several hundred
million dollars into the field. Some established donors have doubled or even
tripled their funding.
But
this year, the Malaria day commemoration held at the Mulungushi International
Conference center in Lusaka, Zambia saw renewed interest by Africa as almost all
the countries sent representatives to this important function presided over by
the Zambian Vice president. Representatives from the World Health Organization
in Geneva were also present.
An
exhibition displayed at the conference center showed the various measures being
taken to combat malaria in Africa with government organizations,
non-governmental organizations and companies present with the slogan,
“Together we can beat Malaria”. As well as the presence of Yvonne
Chakachaka, an activist and renowned South African singer who was invited to
help spread malaria-related messages to the masses through music.
A
malaria center with modern equipment for diagnosing the disease was also opened
during the commemoration, and was a model example for other countries to
emulate.
Head
of African states that met in Abuja, Nigeria recently, agreed that 25 April each
year be designated as the Africa Malaria day in which countries should pursue
steps being taken to combat the disease and share experiences on the way forward
in order to ensure healthy populations which is central to economic development.
*
Charles Mkoka is an independent Malawian environmental writer with
much experience in environmental issues. He has worked in the field of
environment and natural resources since 1996, after graduating from the
Malawi Natural Resources College. Apart from being a writer, he is
also a wildlife educator, specialist and guide. You can reach him at: mkokach@yahoo.com
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