Malaria in Africa
Malaria in Africa
Malaria has been known to exist for thousands of years, with its signs documented as early as 5000 years ago in ancient Chinese and Egyptian records. Through out these thousands of years, it is believed that this disease has evolved and adapted to its surroundings. Malaria is a parasitic disease in the blood that causes flu-like symptoms. Some signs of this disease include fever, chills, muscle pain, headache, nausea, vomiting, and may also cause jaundice and other serious complications. It can take anywhere from 7 days to a year for symptoms to appear. If left untreated, death may also occur.
Although Malaria exists in many parts of the world, it is most widespread in Africa. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, “In 2010, malaria caused an estimated 216 million clinical episodes, and 655,000 deaths. An estimated 91% of deaths in 2010 were in the African Region, followed by 6% in the South-East Asian Region and 3% in the Eastern Mediterranean Region (3%). About 86% of deaths globally were in children.” (“Impact of Malaria”, n.d., para.3) The majority of these deaths are in children under the age of 5. This could be due to the fact that their bodies have not built immunity to fight the disease as an adult may have. Although malaria is not contagious, the African population is at risk to this disease because not only is it already widespread in the country, but Africa is also infested with the mosquitoes that can transfer the infection from one person to another.
One of the main reasons why malaria is most common in Africa is because the environment is most ideal for the different species of mosquitoes that transmit the disease. The ideal environment for these mosquitoes to thrive is in warmer, humid climates close to bodies of water. Tonnang, Kangalawe, and Yanda came up with two possible scenarios as to why these mosquitoes do so well in the African climate. “..the first was linked to African climate as mentioned
Malaria has been known to exist for thousands of years, with its signs documented as early as 5000 years ago in ancient Chinese and Egyptian records. Through out these thousands of years, it is believed that this disease has evolved and adapted to its surroundings. Malaria is a parasitic disease in the blood that causes flu-like symptoms. Some signs of this disease include fever, chills, muscle pain, headache, nausea, vomiting, and may also cause jaundice and other serious complications. It can take anywhere from 7 days to a year for symptoms to appear. If left untreated, death may also occur.
Although Malaria exists in many parts of the world, it is most widespread in Africa. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, “In 2010, malaria caused an estimated 216 million clinical episodes, and 655,000 deaths. An estimated 91% of deaths in 2010 were in the African Region, followed by 6% in the South-East Asian Region and 3% in the Eastern Mediterranean Region (3%). About 86% of deaths globally were in children.” (“Impact of Malaria”, n.d., para.3) The majority of these deaths are in children under the age of 5. This could be due to the fact that their bodies have not built immunity to fight the disease as an adult may have. Although malaria is not contagious, the African population is at risk to this disease because not only is it already widespread in the country, but Africa is also infested with the mosquitoes that can transfer the infection from one person to another.
One of the main reasons why malaria is most common in Africa is because the environment is most ideal for the different species of mosquitoes that transmit the disease. The ideal environment for these mosquitoes to thrive is in warmer, humid climates close to bodies of water. Tonnang, Kangalawe, and Yanda came up with two possible scenarios as to why these mosquitoes do so well in the African climate. “..the first was linked to African climate as mentioned