Malaria is an epidemic in Africa

Last Sunday I wrote about malaria in Zambia, one of the countries in the southern part of Africa.

I received an e-mail wherein the writer asked if I could explain to our readers what malaria is and how it affects people. So, in today’s column, I will try to do that.

I was born in a malaria- infested region, and on more than one occasion I had to deal with malaria or I knew somebody struggling with it.

There is a major increase in malaria in Africa due to civil wars, a lack of medication, famine and bad economic conditions.

Malaria is a potentially fatal disease, which is transmitted by the Anopheles mosquitoes.

This blood disease, once present in an infected human, will cause flu-like symptoms that can possibly result in coma and ultimately death.

The Malaria Vaccine Initiative stated that: “The human parasite, Plasmodium falciparum, is dangerous not only because it digests the red blood cell’s hemoglobin, but also because it changes the adhesive properties of the cell it inhabits.

“This change in turn causes the cell to stick to the walls of blood vessels. It becomes especially dangerous when the infected blood cells stick to the capillaries in the brain, obstructing blood flow, a condition called cerebral malaria.

“Scientists using the X-ray microscope are hoping to learn more about how the parasite infects and disrupts the blood cells and the blood vessels of an infected host.”

As for me, whenever I had malaria, I remember feeling very weak; I had a constant headache and high temperatures and also no appetite.

In my early teenage years, I was put on observation due to the fact the doctors were struggling to lower my temperature.

Malaria has taken a number of lives and is a leading killer of children.

With the lack of proper infrastructure and resources to fight back, this deadly disease is taking over much of the continent of Africa.

With the Malaria Vaccine Initiative, however, people there can be well equipped to fight the mosquitos that spread this disease.

During one holiday we had a soccer tournament. Our goalie was one of my friends and he lived a quarter of mile from me.

He told me that he wasn’t feeling well right before the game. As a typical teenager, he did not want to miss the tournament, however.

We played at about 11 a.m. and I remember that it had been very hot. Almost two hours after the game, we heard our goalie had died.
It was very unbelievable; it was so difficult to process what had happened.

Later on, his parents told us that he had malaria but had been feeling a bit better. They also said that when he arrived home after the game he told them that he was not feeling well and he was going to rest a bit. When they went to check on him and called the ambulance, it was too late.

Malaria is now killing people — mostly infants — in Africa in a matter of seconds.
The health system in Africa is struggling and the burden is not getting any easier. The effects of malaria permeate almost every sector, such as education, tourism, etc.
Malaria is a disease that is preventable and also treatable.

In order to prevent malaria from spreading, families will need insecticide-treated bed nets.

For intervention, an anti-malaria drug such as artemisinin and other medication can be uses to treat malaria before it becomes deadly.

In July, a group of young people is going to Zambia to see how they can help stop the spread of the deadliest disease.

Find a way to help. Remember to spread God’s love.

Erick Kalenga is an independent columnist who appears Sundays in the Star-Exponent. He lives in Madison County.
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