Malaria as the Greatest Human Affliction in the World - Research Paper Example

Malaria Malaria is a killer disease which has remained consistent for quite a number of years. Today, malaria kills and disables many people as compared to any other infectious disease. Each year, malaria claims lives of more than two million victims. However, 80% of the total number is children from sub-Saharan Africa. It causes fever, malaise, anemia, and death (David 1). The greatest impact is however, on the children. This is because; most children have not yet built up the necessary immunity needed to combat severe malaria infection. There are several devastations wrought by the disease itself. As a result of that fact, malaria in most cases gets the blame for fevers arising from other infections. In addition, malaria interferes with the treatment of other non malarial infections thereby; resulting into higher death rates from the other causes. Without forgetting, malaria has an enormous impact on the economy of most African countries. It slows down economic growth by 1% in African countries hence causing more than $ 1000 annually in per capita GDP. In 1970, 24 countries in the world had eliminated malaria completely. However, there were several countries in the other parts of the world especially; Africa had most of the countries. Malaria is an infection that caused by one of the four species of a parasite known as plasmodium. The four species include; Plasmodium vivax, P. falciparum, P. ovale, and P. malariae (Greenwood & Mutabinghwa 671). Transmission of the disease from one person to the other then occurs through the bite of an anopheles mosquito (David 1). Plasmodium enters the bloodstream of another individual only if the anopheles that bit him or her had previously bit a person who had malaria. Once the plasmodium finds its way into the bloodstream, it travels to the liver. This is the main part of the human body where plasmodium gets an opportunity to multiply rapidly. In a short period of a fortnight, thousands of plasmodia get back into the bloodstream. They then damage oxygen-carrying red blood cells hence resulting into anemia and high fever. After maturity of the disease causing microorganisms in the red blood cells, they rapture the cells and find their way back into the bloodstream. Damaged blood cells form small clumps that block blood vessels hence causing either kidney or brain damage. One of the species of plasmodium causes a detrimental infection known as falciparum malaria. This infection causes fatal blood vessels damage. Signs and symptoms of malaria sometimes seem to be vague. However, it is an undisputable reasoning that fever is one of the most conspicuous signs the disease. Other symptoms given consideration for include; increased sweating, headache, abdominal cramps, fatigue, dizziness, dry cough, joint pains, chills, pain from the back, myalgia, nausea, vomiting, cough, and diarrhea (Marcus & Alcamo & Heymann 46). If plasmodium falciparum does not get immediate treatment, it can result into a coma, pulmonary edema, and failure of the renal and even death. Despite the symptoms, physicians advocate for malarial diagnosis for those people who have the named symptoms. The symptoms do occur on the third day or any other day in the calendar. Fever in malaria normally develops remarkably early in the patients. There are numerous procedures used in the diagnosis of malaria the most common one being clinical diagnosis. Despite the fact that reliable diagnosis cannot be obtained on the basis of signs and symptoms alone, clinical diagnosis of malaria is much practiced in most malarial areas. In malarial endemic world, trained health care personnel and necessary facilities are inadequate. This therefore, means that the presumptive clinical diagnosis is one of the most realistic options. It is therefore, the commonest approach in the context of complex emergencies. This method offers the merits of speed, ease, and low costs. In areas that are common with malaria, clinical diagnosis ends up treating all patients with fever and other common malaria symptoms, for malaria. The above approach can identify many patients in an area, who are truly in need of anti-malarial treatment but at the same time, can misclassify many who are not in need of treatment. Additionally, the method often results into over-diagnosis which ends up misusing anti-malarial drugs. Consequently, over-diagnosis places the lives of the individuals at risk by making them develop drug resistance in their bodies. This is because; overlap exists between malarial signs and symptoms with those of other common diseases in the world. There are several attempts that have been put in place in order to improve specificity of clinical diagnosis of malaria. The new approach tries its level to include other signs and symptoms rather than basing an argument on fever only as was the case in the past. The next common method of diagnosis is laboratory-based. It is the most advocated method. It offers a better ground for identifying not only patients who are in true need of malaria treatment, but also patients who are not in need of the anti-malarial drugs. Moreover, this method of diagnosis aid in reducing drug resistance in the body but minimizing the number of unnecessary malaria treatment. In most cases, people do argue that laboratory-based diagnosis is much expensive. However, research has it that it potentially lowers actual malarial treatment of malaria costs by simply cutting down the number of anti-malarial drugs used. The other merit of laboratory-based diagnosis is the fact that, the method helps in identification of the actual species of the cause of the cause of the ailment. There are essentially two types of malaria caused by different organisms; severe fulcrum malaria and nonfalciparum malaria. After diagnosis, what follows is the treatment of malaria. The treatment of malaria should commence immediately after positive confirmation of diagnosis using blood smear. The treatment of malaria depends solely on the species of the plasmodium that caused the infection (David, 1). Other factors given consideration for include; probable geographical origin of the parasite, density of the parasite, and lastly yet weighty, the clinical status of the patient. In almost all types of malaria apart from drug resistant plasmodium falciparum, prescription of chlorine phosphate can be given. In the treatment of drug resistant plasmodium falciparum, a combination of sulfonamide, pyrimethamine, and quinine is often indicated. Malaria that is caused by the other minor causes that are not well established is treated by a combination of both primaquine and chloroquine. Severe malaria arising from P. falciparum and has got cerebral involvement may require treatment that involve continuous exchange of transfusion and infusion of quinidine (David 1). However, it is necessary to note that, the effectiveness of all anti-malarial drugs depend on the stages of the development of certain particular plasmodium species. In addition, the history of anti-malarial drugs depends mostly on the ever emerging drug-resistant parasites and search for advanced drugs formulation (Greenwood & Mutabingwa 671). The other fact about malaria that should be taken into consideration is on the future of malaria. Many people argue that, since climatic conditions influence malaria because of the fact that, it direct influence on population of mosquitoes, its incidences will increase in the future because of global warming. This could be true to some extent because global warming results into relatively warmer conditions that will facilitate rapid multiplication of mosquitoes. On the contrast, some scholars also argue that, global warming alone will not upsurge malaria. They however, believe that, if any case global warming is accompanied with deterioration in other fundamental parameters like decrease in mosquito control measures and poor health facilities. Despite the ongoing debate however, there is more hopeful future for the fight against the disease. The richer countries in the world have declared the last five years to be re-awakening in the fight against malaria (Greenwood & Mutabingwa 671). From the foregoing discussion about malaria, it would be correct to make a general conclusion that, malaria is one the greatest human afflictions in the world. It is not only common in the society, but it is also within the human population. Its symptoms are almost akin to those of other diseases in the society, and it therefore, requires thorough diagnosis. The disease also attacks children mostly due to their low immunity system. Work Cited Greenwood, Brian. & Mutabingwa, Theonest. Malaria in 2002. Nature Volume 415 (7TH Feb 2002): 670-672. Print. Marcus, B. & Alcamo, E. & Heymann, D. Malaria. New York, NY: Infobase Publishing. 2003. Print. Davis Charles. Malaria. New York, NY; MedecineNet, Inc. 2012. Print. Read More