What is Malaria?

Malaria  is caused by a parasite,called Plasmodium, that is passed from one human to another by the bite of infected 

Anopheles mosquitoes.It is the most important tropical disease occurring in many temperate regions and poses a risk to travelers and immigrants with imported cases increasing in non-endemic areas. Because of the severity of the health disease, malaria was included in the Millennium Goals which were established by the UN in 2000 with the intention of tackling global poverty and health inequality. However, over the past few decades, the come back of the disease is being witnessed. The dream of the global elimination of malaria is beginning to fade with the growing number of cases, the rapid spread of drug resistance in people, and the increasing insecticide resistance in mosquitoes.

According to the World Health Organization's World Malaria Report 2010:

• At the end of 2009, more than half the worldwide population lived in areas at risk of malaria transmission in 107 countries and territories.
• The number of worldwide malaria cases hit 225 million in 2009.
• At least 781,000 died in 2009 due to malaria.
• About 60 percent of the cases of malaria and more than 80 percent of the malaria deaths worldwide occur in Africa South of the Sahara.

A Child Dies Every 30 Seconds...

People with malaria often experience fever, chills, and flu-like illness.Approximately 80 percent of malaria cases and 90 to 95 percent of malaria related deaths in the world are estimated to be in Africa .It infects 350-500 million people each year, affecting mostly children in Sub-Saharan. Malaria remains the single largest cause of death for children under five, where it kills one child every 30 seconds. This translates to the deaths of approximately 3,000 children every day.    

                          

                    
                "Malaria Areas" source: google images 
                    

Malaria Can Affect a Person's Health in Various Ways:.

• Some people infected with a particularly virulent strand can develop complications such as brain disease, severe anemia, and kidney failure. Severe forms occur more frequently in people with little protective immunity, and can result in death or life long neurologic impairment.
• Babies born to women who had malaria during their pregnancy are more often born with a low birth weight which decreases their chances of survival during early life.

Who is Most Vulnerable:

• Young children, who have no yet developed immunity to malaria.
• Pregnant women, whose immunity is decreased by pregnancy.
• Travelers or migrants coming from areas with little or no malaria transmission , who lack immunity.

Malaria a Result of Poverty

 Effective, preventive and curative tools have been developed, but many people in Africa are living on less than $2 a day and can't afford to buy life-saving items. However, malaria parasites are developing high levels of resistance to one drug after another and many insecticides are no longer useful against mosquitoes transmitting the disease. The difference between life and death often depends on one's environment and ability to get treatment very soon. If treatment for a child with malaria is delayed by more than 30hrs, there is a 90 percent likelihood that the child will die. Malaria affects the health and economic growth of individuals and nations. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), Malaria is costing Africa about $12 billion a year in economic output, and according to the UN economists, malaria is one of the top four causes of poverty. Ending malaria is the most important priority in lifting Africa out of poverty.