Malaria

Question 1

Malaria, together with HIV/AIDS and TB, is one of the major public health problems affecting ____ in the poorest countries in the world.

Answer 1

Development

Question 2

Worldwide about __ of the malaria cases and more than ___ of the malaria deaths occur in Africa South of the Sahara.

Answer 2

60%

80%

Question 3

What is malaria?

Answer 3

It is a life-threatening parasitic disease transmitted by mosquitos.

Question 4

What is the history of malaria? (3)

Answer 4

• It was once thought that the disease came from smelly marshes (wetlands)
• In 1880, scientists discovered the real cause of malaria was a unicellular protozoan known as Plasmodium.
• Later they discovered that the parasite is transmitted from person to person through the bite of a female anopheles mosquito, which requires human blood to feed her eggs.

Question 5

The mosquito acts as ___ transmitting te disease-causing ____-organism from one infected person to another.

Answer 5

Vector

Micro

Question 6

How can Malaria affect a person’s health? (4)

Answer 6

• It produces fever, chills, headache, muscle ache, vomiting, tiredness and other flu-like symptoms which can be very incapacitating.
• Some people infected with Plasmodium Falciparum can develop complications such as brain disease (cerebral malaria)
• People who have frequent malaria infections can develop anemia due to repeated destruction of the red blood cells caused by the malaria parasite
• Babies born to women who had malaria during their pregnancy are often born prematurely or with alow birth weight which decreases their chances of survival during early life.

Question 7

How long do the symptoms of malaria appear?

Answer 7

They appear 10-14 days after being bitten by an infected mosquito

Question 8

What risks do severely anemic patients face in developing countries?

Answer 8

They might receive blood transfusions which, in developing countries, can expose them to HIV and other blood-borne diseases.

Question 9

Deaths from malaria are caused by… (2)

Answer 9

• Destruction of red blood cells (anemia)

- Clogging of the capillaries that take blood to the brain (cerebral malaria) or other vital organs, eg Kidneys.

Question 10

What economic complications come about as a result of malaria? (5)

Answer 10

• Payment for drugs
• Travel expenses
• Lost days of work
• Expenses for preventive measures
• The expense for burial in case of deaths

Question 11

What governmental costs come about as a result of malaria? (5)

Answer 11

• Maintenance of health facilities
• Purchase of drugs and facilities
• Public health interventions
• Lost days of work with resulting loss of income
• Loss of tourism income

Question 12

Can malaria impede economic growth?

Answer 12

Yes, it has been estimated that economic growth in countries with intensive malaria was 1.3% lower than that of countries without malaria.

Question 13

It must also be remembered that for many children there is the ____ effect of being absent from school.

Answer 13

Negative

Question 14

The simplest way of treating malaria: (2)

Answer 14

• Treat illness

- Destroy the mosquitos

Question 15

What is the most effective current treatment?

Answer 15

The most effective current treatment is a 3 days course using a multi-drug treatment that includes a drug, Artemesia from a Chinese herb Artemesia annua or sweet wormwood. Artemesia destroys drug-resistant plasmids in the bloodstream.

Question 16

What is the problem with Artemesia treatment?

Answer 16

It is expensive and cannot be afforded in countries with the highest number of malaria cases.

Question 17

What have doctors in South Africa begun using as malaria treatment?

Answer 17

By the end of 2001 when South African doctors began treating with Coartem, a single, multidrug pill that includes Artemesia, the number of cases has been cut by half. In 2003 the number of deaths was down by 146.

Question 18

What are two effective methods of destroying mosquitos?

Answer 18

• Using insecticide-treated nets

- Spraying with DDT

Question 19

Cheap ITNs to cover sleeping areas are being distributed or sold in many ___ countries.

Answer 19

African

Question 20

What do ITNs function as? (2)

Answer 20

• A physical barrier to being bitten
• Traps that kill the mosquitos. Mosquitoes are attracted by the carbon dioxide that sleepers exhale and are then killed by the insecticide

Question 21

Are ITNs effective?

Answer 21

Yes, in areas where they are being used the number of malaria cases has dropped dramatically.

Question 22

Spraying dwellings with __ was reintroduced in 2000 in South Africa. The results were dramatic as the number of cases of malaria fell almost _____.

Answer 22

DDT

Immediately

Question 23

Does DDT harm the environment?

Answer 23

The harm being done to the environment is being kept to the minimum as the amount of DDT necessary to kill mosquitos is small.

Question 24

What happened in 1996 in South Africa, when under international pressure, reduced its use of DDT for the spraying of homes?

Answer 24

The number of cases grew steadily from about 10 000 cases per year to 64 000 cases, with 423 deaths in 2000.

Question 25

What is the current problem with malaria?

Answer 25

Over the years the Plasmodium and the mosquitos have developed a great degree of resistance to various drugs and insecticides. This has made it even more difficult to control the disease.

Question 26

What is the solution for malaria treatment in terms of vaccines?

Answer 26

Research is taking place however no really effective vaccine has yet been introduced into general clinical practice.