Kyle D.

Cañada BSN2C

Disease Analysis (Malaria)

Malaria is a parasite-caused illness. The parasite is transmitted via the bites of infected
mosquitoes to humans. With a high fever and trembling chills, people who have malaria
normally feel very sick. Although the disease is rare in temperate climates, in tropical and
subtropical countries, malaria is still widespread. Almost 290 million people are infected with
malaria per year, and over 400,000 people suffer from the disease. Malaria is caused by a single-
celled parasite of the genus plasmodium. By feeding on a person who has malaria, a mosquito
becomes infected. They migrate to your liver once the parasites reach your body, where some
forms can lie dormant for as long as a year. They leave the liver and infect the red blood cells as
the parasites grow. This is when people typically develop malaria symptoms. Because the
parasites that cause malaria affect red blood cells, people can also catch malaria from exposure to
infected blood, including from mother to unborn child, through blood transfusions, by sharing
needles used to inject drugs.

In certain parts of the world, the prevalence of endemic malaria and the revival of the
disease in areas where eradication attempts have been undertaken are primarily due to the
interplay of broad social, cultural, and economic factors. Three such variables are especially
important determinants of malaria transmission patterns: agricultural growth, population
migration, and urbanization. First is agricultural growth. It is no surprise that in rural agricultural
areas, most malaria exists. Agricultural settlement also brings improvements in the use of water,
changes the concentration of domesticated and wild animals, and causes deforestation, all of
which can increase the number of sites for larval growth and increase interaction with human-
mosquitoes. Irrigation practices that use canals or pumps to periodically flood fields for crops
such as rice have a great impact on mosquito breeding. The form of ownership of agricultural
land and the type of labor utilized, such as sharecropping, also can affect the spread of and
exposure to malaria parasites. Finally, in order to improve crop production, the use of such
chemicals may have an indirect effect on the spread of malaria. Significant quantities of
pesticides and fertilizers require high-yield crop varieties.

Population migration is the second variable which causes malaria transmission. In four
principal ways, population migration increases the transmission of malaria. First, such a
migration also takes non-immune individuals into endemic areas or infected individuals into
malaria-free areas. For example, the higher incidence of malaria among Afghan refugees living
in Pakistan than among the indigenous population reflects the lower level of pre-existing
immunity for Afghans (Suleman, 1988). Second, migrants' living conditions vary significantly
from those of settled populations, contributing to higher exposure to infected mosquitoes. Third,
the type of work undertaken by migrants and the conditions in which they work frequently
contribute to higher exposure to mosquitoes infected with malaria. Finally, government malaria
prevention systems rarely serve the migrant population. Even if they are used, it may be difficult
or impossible to enforce most prevention methods, such as the residual application of
insecticides to house walls, chloroquine prophylaxis for pregnant women, and screening of
buildings.

Lastly, is urbanization. In general, urban areas have higher population densities that allow
for higher rates of transmission of diseases, large numbers of sites of larval production due to
water storage practices, and limited wastewater and wastewater disposal methods. The projected
risk of malaria infection is influenced by urbanization and human population density. Study
shows that the risk of malaria infection exists in Africa in these densely populated urban areas.
Malaria remains a major health problem in urban areas where a high proportion of fevers are
presumptively treated. Stephensi mosquitoes are found not only in rural areas, but also in cities
where they breed in containers of man-made water, such as containers for household water
storage and garden reservoirs. The stephensi mosquito in urban centers in India and Pakistan is
known to be the primary malaria vector.