Political Science 1020E Quiz: Malaria
4 Jun 2018
School
Department
Course
Professor
Malaria
What is malaria?
● Parasitic infection that is spread between people by mosquitoes and is arguably the
most important vector-transmitted disease in the world.
● The leading parasitic cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide
○ 0.25 mortality rate
■ prevalence is so high that even a low mortality rate results in large
number of deaths
○ 200 million clinical cases of malaria in 2013
○ 584,000 people dying from the mosquito-borne disease
○ 3/4 of deaths pregnant women or children under five.
○ 3.3 billion people at risk
○ 55,111,095 DALYs
○ “Malaria remains the biggest cause of death for children under five in Africa.”
● SYMPTOMS
○ Malaria begins as a flu-like illness 8 to 30 days after infection. Symptoms include
fever.
○ Typical cycles of fever, shaking chills, and drenching sweats may then
develop.
○ Death may be due to brain damage (cerebral malaria), or damage to vital
organs.
● Malaria is present in over 100 countries.
● In sub-Saharan Africa, where it is the single largest cause of death for children under
five, malaria kills nearly one child every minute – approximately 1,300 children every
day.
● Four nobel prizes have been award for Malaria focussed research and it has been a
major focus of international health efforts
○ 48% decline in # of deaths since 2000
■ tremendous improvement but still harmful
■ still large number of deaths
● Malaria is preventable and curable.
MALARIA HISTORY
● The G & T
○ Quinine powder from cinchona bark used by indigenous people to prevent and
treat Malaria.
○ By 1840s British in India were using 700 tons of bark each year for quinine
○ Quinine so bitter, mixed it with soda and water…..
○ 1870 “Schwepps Indian Quinine Tonic Water”
● The Panama Canal & the US CDC
○ 26,000 employees building the canal
○ 21,000 (86%) were hospitalized for malaria
○ many public health lessons were learned from here
○ Drained pools near houses and villages
Document Summary
Parasitic infection that is spread between people by mosquitoes and is arguably the most important vector-transmitted disease in the world. The leading parasitic cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Prevalence is so high that even a low mortality rate results in large number of deaths. 200 million clinical cases of malaria in 2013. 584,000 people dying from the mosquito-borne disease. 3/4 of deaths pregnant women or children under five. Malaria remains the biggest cause of death for children under five in africa. Malaria begins as a flu-like illness 8 to 30 days after infection. Typical cycles of fever, shaking chills, and drenching sweats may then develop. Death may be due to brain damage (cerebral malaria), or damage to vital organs. Malaria is present in over 100 countries. In sub-saharan africa, where it is the single largest cause of death for children under five, malaria kills nearly one child every minute approximately 1,300 children every day.
