2016
WORLD MALARIA DAY: ENVIRONMENTAL DEGRADATION ON MY MIND
Last time I checked, Malaria remained a mosquito-borne infectious disease
of humans and other animals caused by a group of single-celled parasitic
micro-organisms known as protozoa belonging to the genus plasmodium. The
disease is mainly transmitted by mosquito bites, and the symptoms often commence
few days after the bite.
Malaria is transmitted most commonly by an infected female Anopheles
mosquito. The mosquito bite introduces the parasite called plasmodium from the
mosquito’s saliva into a person’s bloodstream. The parasites then travel to the
liver where they mature and reproduce.
The signs and symptoms of malaria typically begin eight to twenty-five
days following infection; however, symptoms may occur later in those who have
taken anti-malarial medications in the past as prevention. Initial
manifestations of the disease, which is common to all malaria species, are
similar to flu-like symptoms and can resemble other conditions such as
septicemia, gastroenteritis and viral diseases.
The presentation may include headache, fever, shivering, joint pain,
vomiting, haemolytic anaemia, jaundice, haemoglobin in the urine, retinal
damage, and convulsions. The classic symptom of malaria is paroxysm – a
cyclical occurrence of sudden coldness followed by shivering and then fever and
sweating; occurring every two days in P. Vivax and P. Malariae infection.
Severe malaria, which might lead to death, is usually caused by P.
Falciparum – often referred to as ‘Falciparum Malaria’. Its symptoms arise nine
to thirty days after contracting the infection. Individuals with cerebral
malaria frequently exhibit neurological symptoms including abnormal posturing,
nystagmus, conjugate gaze palsy i.e. failure of the eyes to turn together in
the same direction, opisthotonus, seizure, or coma.
It is worthy to note that,
concurrent infection of diseases like HIV with malaria increases mortality
rate. Malaria in pregnant women is the major cause of stillbirths, infant
mortality, abortion and low birth weight, particularly in P. Falciparum
infection.
Symptoms of malaria can recur after varying symptom-free periods. Depending upon the cause, recurrence can be
classified as either recrudescence or relapse. Recrudescence is when symptoms
return after a symptom-free period; it is caused by parasites living in the
blood as a result of inadequate or ineffective treatment. Whilst, relapse is
when symptoms reappear after the parasites have been eliminated from blood but
persist as dormant hyponozoites in liver cells; relapse commonly occurs between
eight to twenty-four weeks and is common among P. Vivax and P. Ovale
infections.
The primary sources of mosquitoes include sewage, refuse, dirty stagnant
water, and untidy environment. In most cases, mosquitoes are peculiar to damp
and dirty environments or substances such as gutter, pool, faeces, and urine,
among other solid and liquid waste materials. This is why residents of untidy
localities are at a high risk of contracting malaria.
Methods used to prevent malaria include medications, mosquito
elimination through fumigation coupled with regular environmental sanitation,
as well as prevention of mosquito bites via regular cum proper use of the
mosquito nets, among others. Prevention of malaria, which is yet to have a
vaccine, may be more cost-effective than treatment of the disease in the long
run; though the initial measures required are out of reach of many of the
world’s poorest people.
Microscopy is the most commonly used method to detect the malaria
parasite in the body. In spite of its widespread usage, diagnosis by microscopy
suffers from two main drawbacks: many settings especially rural are not
equipped to perform the test, and the accuracy of the results depends on both
the skill of the lab technician and the levels of the parasite in the blood.
It is obvious that malaria is a killer disease. The World Health
Organization (WHO) estimates that in 2010 alone, there were about 219 million
cases of malaria outbreak resulting 660,000 deaths. The majority of cases,
about 65%, occur in children under fifteen years. Survey also indicates that
about 125 million pregnant women are at risk of infection each year; in
Sub-Saharan Africa such as Nigeria, Angola, Chad, Congo, Benin, Ghana and
several others, maternal malaria is associated with up to 200,000 estimated
infant deaths yearly. In a nutshell; globally, about 3.3 billion individuals in
106 countries are at risk of malaria, mostly among African children.
Due to the widespread of malaria
infection and its deadly consequence, the WHO thought it wise to proclaim World
Malaria Day. In view of this, in May 2007 during the 60th session of
the World Health Assembly, April 25 of every year was unanimously adopted as
the World Malaria Day. Needless to say; today the world over is commemorating
the World Malaria Day. The day was established to provide education and
thorough understanding of malaria disease across the globe, especially in
countries where the disease seems to be endemic.
As Nigeria joins the rest of the world to commemorate the annual World Malaria
Day, I urge every individual in the country regardless of age or status, to be
extremely conscious of the outlook of his/her surroundings or immediate
environment since malaria is mainly attributed to unhealthy vicinity. Thus, we
should always endeavour to properly dispose any form of waste found within our
place of residence as well as thoroughly sanitize our gutters and toilets at
all times. In addition, we ought to ensure that our beds are always covered
with treated mosquito net whenever we lie in it.
Among all, we should endeavour to see our physician from time-to-time or
whenever we notice any abnormality in our body system, for onward review of our
health status. In the same vein, the various health workers/personnel across
the country are expected to contribute meaningfully and immensely in creation
of awareness regarding the causes and possible effects of malaria disease as
well as its epidemic. Above all, we ought to always bear in mind that
prevention is invariably better than cure. Think about it!
Comr Fred Doc
Nwaozor
(TheMediaAmbassador)
-Public Affairs analyst & Civil
Rights activist-
Chief Executive
Director, Centre for Counselling, Research
& Career
Development - Owerri
_____________________________________
frednwaozor@gmail.com
+2348028608056
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