This post was originally published on February 24, 2009.
by Jennifer
Lyrics:
People get malaria when they’re bit by a mosquito
It’s taking lives like a torpedo
Every year one million die worldwide
But you can prevent it with insecticide
Maybe a breakthrough cure for malaria
To starve the parasite was their idea
Every thirty seconds a child dies
Without treatment, it’s no surprise
A family in Africa could be saved by a bug net
Too bad they can’t afford one yet
This treatment fights the drug-resistant kind
Hopefully we can put malaria out of mind
I wish this cure will help people everywhere
I want it to end their nightmare
Photo by Kozzman
Malaria is a parasitical disease caused by being bitten by a mosquito. Every year 300-500 million cases of malaria occur worldwide, with over one million dying from it, mostly in Africa south of the Sahara Desert. Every thirty seconds, a child dies from the disease. It can be prevented, with the use of bednets, insecticides, and antimalarial drugs. People with malaria often have flu-like symptoms, fever, and chills. If it goes untreated, you can develop severe complications and die.
The parasite that causes malaria is called Plasmodium. When inside the body, the parasite multiplies in the liver and then infects red blood cells. The symptoms usually appear ten to fifteen days after being bitten by the mosquito. If it is not treated, malaria can soon become life-threatening by disrupting the blood supply to vital organs. Malaria has become drug-resistant to lots of medicines in many parts of the world, similar to the drug-resistant tuberculosis that we discussed in class.
Recently, a team of researchers at Monash University made a major breakthrough in the international fight against malaria. They tackled the issue of drug-resistant malaria, a growing problem. “We had an idea as to how malaria could be starved and we have shown this, chemically, can be done,” Dr McGowan, lead author of the research paper, said. “A single bite from an infected mosquito can transfer the malaria parasite into a human’s blood stream. The malaria parasite must then break down blood proteins in order to obtain nutrients. Malaria carries out the first stages of digestion inside a specialized compartment called the digestive vacuole – this can be considered to be like a stomach. However, the enzyme we have studied (known as PfA-M1), which is essential for parasite viability, is located outside the digestive vacuole meaning that it is easier to target from a drug perspective.” A drug candidate which hopes to provide a single-dose cure is now being developed.
Here is a video from Unicef about malaria in Africa and how it can be prevented.
Do you think that this new drug will cure malaria? What else can you find out about malaria?
