Taming Malaria in Africa - Essay Example

The majority of deaths can be attributed to severe disease.
Though malaria is preventable and treatable, there’s no apparent decrease in number of dead by malaria in Africa. Not only does malaria result in lost life and lost productivity due to illness and premature death, but it also hampers children's schooling and social development through both absenteeism and permanent neurological damage associated with severe cases. It is a leading cause of death in many developing countries. Most of the victims are young African children. Across the continent, an African child dies every 30 seconds of malaria. As analyzed in the article, this situation leads to a poverty-malaria succession.

A combination of factors makes it difficult for Africa to tame malaria. Malaria thrives in certain global zones because of geography, poverty, and existing infected mosquito populations; which depicts Africa’s current situation. Infection is a constant hazard for the majority of its population and is a constant challenge and resource drain for its government.

Poverty remains at its root and had been so strong that it manages to sustain the cycle. And those borders are widening. Malaria causes a negative cycle, that is, impoverished people without access to prevention methods and health systems are infected at the highest rates. Then, the disease slows development by overwhelming households and existing infrastructure. The weight of malaria on fragile governments and social services reduces the economic growth of countries. The result is even more poverty, increasing the number of people who are vulnerable to malaria.

Currently, there is no vaccine, but treatment is available. With that, prevention methods must be well understood and be made relatively inexpensive. Mosquito-killing sprays and bed nets protect people from the tiny bite that means infection, and often death.

The challenge remains to spread knowledge and resources across borders to those in need. Hopefully, programs mentioned in the article such as mosquito-control programs using DDT and other information dissemination programs would continue. With its success, the cycle can be disrupted. Read More