Shiloh
Editor, Senior Moderator
Source: http://www.thetidenews.com/article.... on the challenge of malaria&qrColumn=OPINION
Still on the challenge of malaria
? Sunday, Jun 8, 2008
One of the health problems of the world is malaria. Yearly, thousands of cases of malaria are reported in the world without any definitive treatment for the disease. It should be noted that malaria is a deadly disease and according to reports, it is deadlier than AIDS.
In the meantime, it has been reported that more than 300million people in the world are affected by malaria.
And of this figure, about two million people die of the disease every year. The report was made available by the World Health Organization.
According to the WHO report, malaria parasites account for thirty percent of all hospital admission in the tropical region and twenty-five percent of death among children under the age of five years. The report adds that 800,000 children under the age of five die from malaria every year making it one of the major causes of infant and juvenile mortality.
The case of Africa is even more bleak. In Africa, a child dies from malaria every thirty seconds and one out of every five children dies before his/her first birthday. Malaria puts, at least, forty percent of the world population at risk.
Here in Nigeria about three hundred thousand children die of malaria every year. The revelation was made recently by the Enugu State coordinator, Association of Civil Society Organization working on malaria, immunization and nutrition, Dr. Uche Unigwe. In a paper he presented on ?key concept of malaria control, immunization and nutrition? in Enugu, Dr. Unigwe stressed that the disease was responsible for high child mortality in Nigeria.
He announced that malaria was more serious for a child at the age of three and advised parents to seek immediate treatment to prevent complications. However, not long ago, more than 150,000 cases of malaria were reported in Plateau State.
Reacting to the report, the Ministry of Health in Plateau State described malaria as the highest reported disease in the state, forming fifty-seven percent of reported disease in the State.
In 1991, more than 21,000 people were killed by malaria in Nigeria. Reporting the figure, the Federal Ministry of Health said malaria attack was also responsible for the loss of 21,000 man hours per 1,000 working population annually.
According to the Ministry, malaria is the commonest cause of absenteeism in schools and offices in Nigeria.
It should be noted that the nation loses millions of naira yearly through lost man hours arising from malaria infection.
Also, the average family in Nigeria spends at least three hundred naira monthly on mosquito insecticides. Malaria is a disease caused by mosquito bites. It is one of the commonest causes of death in Africa as already indicated.
The malaria germ and its rector were first identified in the 19th century by a British medical practitioner Sir Ronald Ross (1857-1932). However efforts to find a permanent cure for the disease have not succeeded yet.
Nevertheless, there is a ray of hope as Swedish researchers have succeeded in developing a vaccine that had been successfully used on a boy suffering from severe malaria.
Medical scientist working at Stockholm Karolinska Institute found a molecule that prevented the red blood cells infected by the malaria parasites from sticking together and blocking blood vessels. The leader of the team of scientists, Professor Mats Wahlgren said that the vaccine had provided a good protection.
Meantime, the World Bank has approved 180 million dollars to help Nigeria fight malaria. A statement from the World Bank?s headquarters in Washington said the amount was the largest given for a malaria project. The amount was approved because Nigeria is among the nations that suffer most from malaria infection. It stressed that the money would enable Nigeria reduce the incidence of malaria within its shores by fifty percent by the year 2010. It will be noted that Nigeria is the eleventh African country so far to receive help from the World Bank?s Malaria Control Booster Programmes.
The progamme is meant to help African countries reduce deaths, illnesses and economic losses caused by malaria in the continent yearly. Hopefully, Nigeria would make judicious use of the money approved for it by the World Bank. As already indicated, malaria is a deadly tropical disease that should be given very serious attention. We should therefore wake up to the challenge of malaria.
Dr. Tolofari is of the Ministry of Information, Port Harcourt.
Still on the challenge of malaria
? Sunday, Jun 8, 2008
One of the health problems of the world is malaria. Yearly, thousands of cases of malaria are reported in the world without any definitive treatment for the disease. It should be noted that malaria is a deadly disease and according to reports, it is deadlier than AIDS.
In the meantime, it has been reported that more than 300million people in the world are affected by malaria.
And of this figure, about two million people die of the disease every year. The report was made available by the World Health Organization.
According to the WHO report, malaria parasites account for thirty percent of all hospital admission in the tropical region and twenty-five percent of death among children under the age of five years. The report adds that 800,000 children under the age of five die from malaria every year making it one of the major causes of infant and juvenile mortality.
The case of Africa is even more bleak. In Africa, a child dies from malaria every thirty seconds and one out of every five children dies before his/her first birthday. Malaria puts, at least, forty percent of the world population at risk.
Here in Nigeria about three hundred thousand children die of malaria every year. The revelation was made recently by the Enugu State coordinator, Association of Civil Society Organization working on malaria, immunization and nutrition, Dr. Uche Unigwe. In a paper he presented on ?key concept of malaria control, immunization and nutrition? in Enugu, Dr. Unigwe stressed that the disease was responsible for high child mortality in Nigeria.
He announced that malaria was more serious for a child at the age of three and advised parents to seek immediate treatment to prevent complications. However, not long ago, more than 150,000 cases of malaria were reported in Plateau State.
Reacting to the report, the Ministry of Health in Plateau State described malaria as the highest reported disease in the state, forming fifty-seven percent of reported disease in the State.
In 1991, more than 21,000 people were killed by malaria in Nigeria. Reporting the figure, the Federal Ministry of Health said malaria attack was also responsible for the loss of 21,000 man hours per 1,000 working population annually.
According to the Ministry, malaria is the commonest cause of absenteeism in schools and offices in Nigeria.
It should be noted that the nation loses millions of naira yearly through lost man hours arising from malaria infection.
Also, the average family in Nigeria spends at least three hundred naira monthly on mosquito insecticides. Malaria is a disease caused by mosquito bites. It is one of the commonest causes of death in Africa as already indicated.
The malaria germ and its rector were first identified in the 19th century by a British medical practitioner Sir Ronald Ross (1857-1932). However efforts to find a permanent cure for the disease have not succeeded yet.
Nevertheless, there is a ray of hope as Swedish researchers have succeeded in developing a vaccine that had been successfully used on a boy suffering from severe malaria.
Medical scientist working at Stockholm Karolinska Institute found a molecule that prevented the red blood cells infected by the malaria parasites from sticking together and blocking blood vessels. The leader of the team of scientists, Professor Mats Wahlgren said that the vaccine had provided a good protection.
Meantime, the World Bank has approved 180 million dollars to help Nigeria fight malaria. A statement from the World Bank?s headquarters in Washington said the amount was the largest given for a malaria project. The amount was approved because Nigeria is among the nations that suffer most from malaria infection. It stressed that the money would enable Nigeria reduce the incidence of malaria within its shores by fifty percent by the year 2010. It will be noted that Nigeria is the eleventh African country so far to receive help from the World Bank?s Malaria Control Booster Programmes.
The progamme is meant to help African countries reduce deaths, illnesses and economic losses caused by malaria in the continent yearly. Hopefully, Nigeria would make judicious use of the money approved for it by the World Bank. As already indicated, malaria is a deadly tropical disease that should be given very serious attention. We should therefore wake up to the challenge of malaria.
Dr. Tolofari is of the Ministry of Information, Port Harcourt.