Some infectious diseases reappear again after a period of decline in incidence. One of such reemerging acute febrile infectious diseases is malaria. Every 30 seconds, it becomes the reason for a child’s death (Fauci, 2005). The symptoms include high temperature, headache, and muscle pains.
The causative agents are the reason for widespread infection. Malaria is caused by a Plasmodium parasite widely spread in Africa (WHO, 2022). The transmission mode is through the bites of infected Anopheles mosquitoes (WHO, 2022). Malaria was not transmitted for several years due to the high temperature and droughts. However, the disease has recently spread around again because of human migration. As tourists travel through the borders, the infection breaks into new geographic regions for people without immunity, and the parasite becomes more resistant to drugs. Sometimes the parasites hide in the organs and do not reveal any symptoms for some time. Therefore, as an epidemiologist, I suggest controlling human migration by checking all tourists from Africa for a Plasmodium parasite. The infected patients should be isolated, and people interacting with them should be vaccinated against malaria.
Biotechnologists and world organizations should fight together against malaria. The former group identified the parasite’s genome, which allows them to design effective drugs and vaccines (Fauci, 2005). For example, the last vaccine from the sequenced genomes of a host and a vector demonstrated 30% efficacy in Mozambique (Fauci, 2005). The latter use insecticide-treated nets and indoor spraying (WHO, 2022). Another suggestion is preventive chemotherapy with drugs for children and pregnant women. Currently, the most successful decision is the malaria vaccine for all children in the affected regions (WHO, 2022). All these solutions significantly reduce malaria, especially among children. To conclude, fighting this deadly infection is significant for all the world population.
References
Fauci, A. S. (2005). Emerging and reemerging infectious diseases: The perpetual challenge. Academic Medicine, 80(12), 1079-1085.
World Health Organization (WHO). (2022). Malaria.