14 Nov 2024        12:26:19 pm

Science

Malaria

Tags : Malaria

Topic: Diseases

Why in the news?

• Malaria infection rates are soaring in Ethiopia, where a combination of armed conflict, climate change and mosquitoes’ growing resistance to drugs and insecticides has accelerated the spread of a disease the country once thought it was bringing under control.

Source: The New York Times

About Malaria: 

• It is an acute febrile illness which is spread to people through the bites of infected female Anopheles mosquitoes.
• It is caused by Plasmodium parasites. Five species of parasites can cause malaria in humans and 2 of these species - Plasmodium falciparum and Plasmodium vivax, pose the greatest threat.
• It is a life-threatening disease primarily found in tropical countries.
• It is preventable and curable.
• It is not contagious and cannot spread from one person to another.
• Symptoms:
  • The initial symptoms of malaria usually begin within 10–15 days after the bite from an infected mosquito.
  • Fever, headache and chills are typically experienced, though these symptoms may be mild and difficult to recognize as malaria.
  • In malaria endemic areas, people who have developed partial immunity may become infected but experience no symptoms.
• Prevention:
  • Vector control interventions:
    • It is the main approach to prevent malaria and reduce transmission.
    • Two forms of vector control are effective for people living in malaria-endemic countries:
      • insecticide-treated nets, and
      • indoor residual spraying, which is the application of an insecticide to surfaces where mosquitoes tend to rest.
  • Chemopreventive therapies and chemoprophylaxis
    • Although designed to treat patients already infected with malaria, some antimalarial medicines can also be used to prevent the disease.
• Malaria in India:
  • Malaria remains one of the major public health problems in India.
  • The country carries 1.7% of the global malaria case burden, 1.2% of global malaria deaths.
  • States of Odisha, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Meghalaya and Madhya Pradesh disproportionately accounted for nearly 45.47 percent of malaria cases.
  • Steps taken:
    • National Framework for Malaria Elimination (NFME) launched by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare in 2016.
    • National Strategic Plan (NSP) for Malaria Elimination (2016-2030) launched by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.
      • It has a vision of a malaria-free country by 2027 and elimination by 2030.

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