Invest in the future, Defeat malaria

 Invest in the future, Defeat malaria

Every 25th of April is the World Malaria day, a day set aside to deliberate on the deadly disease and seek ways it can be curtailed, According to the World Health Organization, there are about 207 million malaria cases worldwide and about 40% of malaria deaths occur in just two countries: Nigeria and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Malaria is a deadly disease caused by infection with single-celled parasites of the genus Plasmodium. Anopheles mosquitoes transmit these parasites from one person to another in their bites. Malaria is characterized by periodic bouts of severe chills and high fever. Serious cases of malaria can result in death if left untreated. More than a million people die of the disease each year, most of them in Africa, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). 

The most recent figures from WHO indicate an estimated 660,000 deaths from malaria each year and 219 million cases. Malaria remains a global health problem, and public health efforts today focus on controlling it. In addition, a worldwide effort is under way to develop a vaccine that protects people against the disease. In the meantime, research by the WHO has found that sleeping under bed nets treated with insecticide can greatly reduce deaths from malaria, especially among children. WHO is focusing on helping malaria-endemic countries assess the feasibility of gradually moving towards elimination. Since 2000, there has been a 42% reduction in global malaria mortality rates and many countries have declared malaria elimination as a national goal. 

 

PARASITES THAT CAUSES MALARIA 

Four species of Plasmodium parasites cause malaria in humans: Plasmodium falciparum, P. vivax, P. ovale, and P. malariae. Each causes a different form of the disease. P. vivax and P. ovale cause the mildest forms; P. falciparum, the severest and most deadly form. Other Plasmodium species infect primates, rodents, birds, and lizards. Several of these species, particularly those that infect rodents, have been used in experimental studies and for testing malaria drugs and vaccines. 

 

 HOW IT WORKS 

Malaria infection begins when a female mosquito of the Anopheles genus bites a human and injects infectious cells known as sporozoites into the person’s bloodstream. The sporozoites travel in the bloodstream to the liver, where they multiply for one to two weeks to form cells called merozoites. The merozoites leave the liver to invade red blood cells. Inside these blood cells, the merozoites multiply rapidly until the blood cells burst. As the cells burst, they release merozoites that go on to infect other red blood cells and begin the cycle again. Some merozoites divide to form gametocytes, immature male and female gametes (cells involved in sexual reproduction). The gametes are involved in transmission of the disease.

THE FIGURES ARE BAD

While continued innovations in malaria diagnostics, drugs, and vector control are important, malaria vaccines could have a critical role in defeating malaria if they can be successfully developed. According to available statistics;

    =627 000 estimated malaria deaths globally

    =90% of all malaria deaths occur in sub-Saharan Africa

    =77% occur in children under five

    =3.4 billion (half of the world population) are at risk

    =In 2013, 97 countries had on-going malaria transmission (number of countries affected)

Progress 

In recent years, the application of nucleic acid amplification (NAA)-based diagnostic tools to detect malaria in the context of epidemiological surveys and in research endeavors has increased significantly. Many different assays are available with a superior diagnostic performance to microscopy and rapid diagnostic tests. The reduction in disease burden of malaria in recent years has in large part been attributed to the massive scale up of the two main vector control interventions, long-lasting insecticidal nets (LLINs) and indoor residual spraying (IRS), particularly in Africa south of the Sahara. A number of countries have deployed the two interventions in combination in an attempt to further reduce transmission.These are success recorded in recent times

    *The malaria mortality rate was reduced in 2000 - 2012 globally by 42 %

    *in WHO African Region by 49 %

    *52 countries are on track to reduce their malaria case incidence rates by 75%, in line with World Health Assembly and Roll Back Malaria targets for 2015

    *These 52 countries only account for 4% (8 million) of the total estimated malaria cases.

COST BURDEN

 

Annual economic burden of malaria is estimated at least US$ 12 billion per year of direct losses in Africa, plus many times more than that in lost economic growth.

• The Malaria Vaccine Initiative (MVI)

The Malaria Vaccine Initiative (MVI) welcomes the update of the Malaria Vaccine Technology Road-map, led by the World Health Organization (WHO), The Road-map was initially created in 2006 and is an important strategic research and development guide for the malaria vaccine development community. This update reflects a new vision and expanded long-term goals for malaria vaccine developers, including a focus on elimination and eradication of the disease.

The Road-map now includes vaccines targeting all age groups, not only young children; all malaria-endemic regions, not just sub-Saharan Africa; and includes vaccines to combat malaria caused by Plasmodium vivax, in addition to the more deadly P. falciparum parasite. The 2013 Road-map provides updated, longer-term goals for second-generation vaccines and revised key priority areas, derived through a year-long consultative process with scientists from around the world, to help align malaria vaccine developers and financiers in the quest for highly efficacious vaccines that could ultimately aid eradication efforts. The goal of a first-generation vaccine by 2015 remains unchanged in the updated Road-map.

Commenting on the updated Road-map, MVI director Ashley Birkett, PhD, said, “The Road-map is a blueprint that has and will continue to serve as a key foundation of MVI’s R&D strategy. MVI is already exploring a variety of vaccine approaches that align with the updated Road-map. These include transmission-blocking vaccines, which could be integral to eradication efforts. We also continue to direct considerable resources to the Road-map’s priority areas, as they are the means to ensuring that safe and effective vaccines are not only developed, but able to be implemented.”

Conclusion

Between 2004 and 2013, public health programs distributed more than 700 million conventional and long-lasting insecticidal nets (LLINs) to communities. Currently, LLINs and the vast majority of their packaging is made of non-biodegradable plastic material, and most endemic countries currently do not have the resources to manage collection and waste disposal programs for used LLINs.

The large-scale deployment of LLINs has given rise to questions on the most appropriate and cost-effective way to deal with the plastic waste that is accumulating in communities, particularly in countries where the malaria burden is high and where ministries of health seek to reach or sustain universal coverage. To provide guidance to WHO Member States, WHO issued a document entitled Recommendations on the sound management of packaging for LLINs in November 2011, and in 2013 finalized the results of a pilot project to study current patterns of LLIN usage and disposal in three African countries (Kenya, Madagascar and Tanzania).

Universal health coverage ensures everyone has access to the health services they need without suffering financial hardship as a result. In December 2012, a UN resolution was passed encouraging governments to move towards providing universal access to affordable and quality health care services. As countries move towards it, common challenges are emerging -- challenges to which research can help provide answers.

Obviously, the government of Malaria-endemic countries especially in sub-Saharan Africa have a lot to do to ensure that Malaria morality rate are reduced considerably, the World Health Organization have already achieved a lot through it various programs but a lot still needs to be done and the wealthy elites are implored to ensure that they contribute a quota to the total eradication of Malaria.

Olusanya Oluwole Sheriff