African experts call for renewed global drive to beat malaria

The parasite causes a deadly infection which kills many people each year.

The parasite that causes malaria is a protozoan called 'plasmodium'. Protozoa are organisms with only one cell, but they are not bacteria. Bacteria are smaller and simpler than protozoans.

People usually get malaria from the Anopheles or Culex mosquitoes: they are the vectors of the disease. The plasmodium gets into people by the bites of mosquitoes. The plasmodium is in the mosquito's special saliva. The mosquito's saliva injects an anticoagulant into the person to prevent their blood from clotting. The person is then infected with plasmodium as a by-product. This makes the person have the disease we call malaria.

Only the female mosquito gives people malaria, because only the female mosquito consumes blood. The male mosquito lives on the nectar of flowers. The female uses blood as a source of protein for its eggs.

Some people do not get malaria from mosquitoes. A baby can get it while inside its mother. This is called maternal-foetal transmission. People can also get malaria from a blood transfusion. This is when someone gives blood to another person. Another way people can catch malaria is by using a needle that someone with the disease used before them.

African health experts warn that major advances in tackling malaria have led to widespread complacency and they are calling for a renewed effort to combat the disease.

Although global malaria deaths fell more than 60% between 2000 and 2015, experts participating in a recent survey said they fear progress could stall unless national governments provide more funding, and international organisations target their support more effectively.

They point to mounting evidence that mosquitoes are becoming resistant to insecticides, and that malaria parasites are developing resistance to current medicines.

The concerns are highlighted in a new study called Malaria Futures for Africa, which attempts for the first time in many years to gather the views of African opinion-leaders in the countries most affected by the disease.

According to the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) report, prevalence of malaria in the country has decreased by half from 14.4 per cent recorded in 2016 to 7.3 in 2018, a new survey by the NBS.

  The 2017 Tanzania Malaria Indicator Survey shows new infections for under-five children also dropped to 7.3 per cent in 2017.

Presenting the survey findings in Dar es Salaam recently, NBS director general Albina Chuwa said it covered regions in both the mainland and Zanzibar.

The percentage of under-5 children with malaria is highest among those aged 36-47 months (10 per cent) and lowest among those age 6-8 months (3 per cent), the report further indicates.

Prevalence of malaria is also higher in mainland rural areas (10 per cent) than mainland urban areas (2 per cent), while in Zanzibar the prevalence rate is higher in Unguja (0.4 per cent) than in Pemba (0 per cent).

The survey was conducted from October to December 2017 – a period of the year taken as the peak season for malaria in Tanzania.

The report also showed a slight difference between mainland Tanzania (4 per cent) and Zanzibar (5 per cent) in the percentage of children under age five with severe cases of anemia.

Prevalence rates also decreased with increasing maternal education and household wealth, the report says.

As is the case in many other countries in sub-Saharan Africa, malaria is the leading cause of death in Tanzania among children under age five. Malaria transmission is high throughout the year, contributing to development of partial immunity within the first two years of life.

However, many people - including children - may have malaria parasites in their blood without showing any signs of infections. Such asymptomatic infection not only contributes to further transmission of malaria, but also increases the risk of anaemia and other associated morbidity cases among infected individuals.

https://ift.tt/2qiCLVB