Emeka Okoroafor

A Future Free of Malaria

Malaria is a life-threatening disease caused by parasites that are transmitted to people
through the bites of infected female mosquitoes. According to the world health organization,
“Malaria is caused by Plasmodium parasites. The parasites are spread to people through the bites
of infected female Anopheles mosquitoes, called "malaria vectors." There are 5 parasite species
that cause malaria in humans, and 2 of these species – P. falciparum and P. vivax – pose the
greatest threat” (WHO). The first signs of malaria usually tend to occur 7 days or more after
someone has been bit by the mosquito. The early symptoms are coughing, vomiting, fever, and
frequent headaches. It is often difficult to detect if these symptoms are going to lead to malaria,
but if a patient isn’t treated as soon as these symptoms show it can lead to severe illness and
could lead to death. The global impact of malaria has been a very heavy one. According to
UNICEF, “In 2015 alone, there were 214 million new cases of malaria reported, and
approximately 438,000 people died of this preventable and treatable disease, 70 per cent of
whom are children under five, still die from this preventable disease every year. 90% of malaria
deaths occur in Sub-Saharan Africa. About 3.2 billion people – almost half of the world’s
population – are at risk of malaria. The disease also contributes greatly to anemia among children
— a major cause of poor growth and development” (UNICEF). The good thing is that they are
ways to prevent and also cure the malaria parasite. The only problem is that it is sometimes
difficult to reach some people who really need the drugs and most times these people cannot
afford to purchase the drugs. Some of the ways to prevent malaria include mosquito nets treated
with insecticides, anti-malaria drugs, and spraying rooms with residual insecticides. Also some
ways to cure someone who has been infected by the malaria parasite include anti-malaria drugs,
monitoring those who have contacted the parasite and providing vaccines against malaria.
There is some hope for the future in the fight against the malaria parasite. According to
UNICEF, “Between 2000 and 2015, malaria mortality rate has fallen by 60% and the number of
malaria cases has fallen by 37% globally. As result, 6.2 million lives saved over the last 15 years
of which 5.7 million are children under five and 68 per cent of under-fives in sub-Saharan Africa
were sleeping under insecticide-treated nets, compared to less than 2 per cent in 2000. Over a 15-
year period, the under-five global malaria death rate fell by 65 per cent” (UNICEF). I have had
experiences with malaria over the course of my life. I have contacted the parasite at least five
time in my life and I have been fortunate enough to have had access to anti-malaria drugs to treat
the parasite. From my personal experience apart from the physical issues it brings it also has a
strain on someone’s mental state because it can make you feel as if you no longer possess the
ability to do even basic activities. From a Christian point of view, the verse I like to point to is
Ecclesiastes 9:11 and it says “I have seen something else under the sun: The race is not to the
swift or the battle to the strong, nor does food come to the wise or wealth to the brilliant or favor
to the learned; but time and chance happen to them all”. The reason why I chose this verse is
because I feel that in the fight against malaria it might seem like it keeps getting harder as each
year keeps passing, but when we have faith in God things will always eventually get better. In
the future I feel like the way I contribute to the fight against malaria is to increase awareness on
how to prevent malaria and open eyes on signs on how it can be contacted that may not be
known to all.
Works Cited
"Fact Sheet about Malaria." World Health Organization. World Health Organization, Apr. 2016.
Web. 28 Nov. 2016.

@unicef. "Malaria." UNICEF. N.p., 22 July 2016. Web. 28 Nov. 2016.

"Ecclesiastes 9:11 - NIV - I Have Seen Something Else under the Sun: The R..." Bible Study
Tools. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Nov. 2016.