MALARIA

Malaria is one of the world's major diseases. It infects milions of people and the world health organization estimated that up to one million people die from malaria infection each year in Africa alone. Malaria is common in many parts of the tropics and can be found in some sub-tropical areas also. Since the 1950s, the world health organization has started one of the world's largest scientific projects in an attempts to eradicate malaria from the earth. The programme has mainly been based on large scale use of persistent insecticides and there have been notable successes. However, it has proved impossible to wipe out malaria from continents like Africa by present-day methods, and there are signs that the disease is spreading again. This is partly because some countries' control measures have been relaxed. It is also due to the mosquito developing strains which are immune to DDT and other persistent insecticides. Given our present state of knowledge and resources, this is best attempted by attacking the vector rather than pathogen.
The infected person has very high fever, headache, sometimes vomitting and general aches and pains. Malaria may cause convulsions and sometimes death in children and abortions in pregnant women. Due to the fact that the parasites destroy many red blood cells, malaria is a common cause of Anemia. Even if infected people are not suffering from a full attack of the diseases, they maybe generally indisposed and have no energy for their work. It is therefore important from an economic as well as a medical point of view to stamp out malaria.
Attempts to control the spread of malaria include the following:
protecting our bodies from mosqito bites by using mosquito nets at night and wearing clothes which covers our arms and legs in the evening.
Preventing mosquitoes from breeding by not providing suitable breeding places.
Grass and bushes should be kept short around houses and buildings because mosquitoes spend the day in the shade.
Inside walls should be painted a light colour so there are no dark corners for the mosquitoes to hide in during the day.
The parasite's development in the human body can be controlled by taking modern prophylactic drugs regularly.
Sufferers from the diseasecan treated with drugs.