World Malaria Day-25 April

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INVC,,

Delhi,,

More than 40 percent of the world’s population living in more than 100 countries is at risk of contracting malaria said Padma Shri & Dr. B.C. Roy National Awardee Dr. KK Aggarwal and President, Heart Care Foundation of India on the occasion of World Malaria Day falling on April 25. This year’s theme is “Sustain Gains, Save Lives: Invest in Malaria”.

The World Health Organization estimates that 300 million to 500 million cases of clinical malaria worldwide occur each year, killing 1.3 million people, most of who live in developing nations. The vast majority of deaths occur in children under the age of 5 and in pregnant women in sub-Saharan Africa. Malaria also impedes economic growth and development in affected countries.

Malaria is remarkably resilient, resurging because of the emergence of drug-resistant parasites and insecticide-resistant osquitoes.

Drug resistant malaria is number one cause of death in many parts of India. With global warming malaria is going to be a major problem in the country.

Cases of malaria will occur throughout the year and in the mountains.

Cleaning the cooler on a weekly basis is not the perfect answer. The cooler should be cleaned, rubbed and then re-filled. Rubbing is important to kill the ova which can live for over two hours if not killed properly. Mosquito born out of ova carry the dengue virus. Therefore, community participation to control mosquito has become more important.

Malaria prevention includes avoiding outdoor exposure between dusk and dawn, wearing clothing that reduces the amount of exposed skin, wearing insect repellant, staying in well-screened or air-conditioned rooms, and sleeping within bed nets treated with insecticides.

All heart patients in the malaria season should be given hydroxyl chloroquin tablet, one tablet every week as a prevention strategy. This is the drug advised to all the foreign travelers to India and given for the whole stay duration and continued four weeks after the stay is over.

Malaria transmission is predominantly via the bite of a female Anopheles sp. mosquito, which occurs mainly between dusk and dawn. Other potential mechanisms for transmission include: congenitally acquired disease, blood transfusion, sharing of contaminated needles, and organ transplantation.

“Autochthonous” malaria results if the mosquito feeds on a malaria-infected individual and transmits the infection by biting someone else. “Airport malaria” occurs when infected mosquitoes enter the country by aircraft and then transmit the infection.

Compared to non pregnant women, pregnant/postpartum women are at increased risk of both acquiring malaria and developing more severe disease. One of the unique features of malaria in pregnancy is the ability of P. falciparum- parasitized red cells to sequester within the intervillous space of the placenta. Placental infection and poor pregnancy outcome decrease in frequency with successive pregnancies. Non immune pregnant women, especially the first pregnancy ones are at higher risk.

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