2023-04-17 01:10:00
On the occasion of World Malaria Day taking place on April 25, the NGO Vision du Monde, warns about this health issue which continues to undermine the daily lives of exposed populations, mainly spread over the African continent. .
Malaria, or malaria, is a potentially fatal parasitic disease transmitted by the bites of infected female Anopheles mosquitoes. This preventable, treatable disease killed 619,000 people in 2021.
In 2021, the incidence of malaria rose globally to 59 cases per 1,000 people at risk of malaria, against a target of 31 cases set by the Global Technical Strategy for Malaria 2016/2030. WHO.
However, progress has been made over the past two decades: 35 countries reported fewer than 1,000 indigenous malaria cases in 2021, compared to just 13 countries in 2000.
And while new countries like China and El Salvador were certified malaria-free by the Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO) in 2021, malaria still continues to disproportionately affect the African continent. Indeed, 95% of malaria cases and 96% of deaths from the disease were recorded in the region that same year.
On the African continent, political instability and conflict-related insecurity hamper national health plans and further expose isolated rural populations who already face extreme poverty. In these countries where health systems are often dysfunctional, access to care is very limited for people with malaria.
Added to this are the consequences of climate change, the multiplication of precipitation, stagnant water linked to extreme flooding, which are all reasons that can impact the lifespan of the mosquito, the development of malaria parasites and the transmission of the disease. .
In Pakistan, for example, a rapid upsurge in malaria cases was observed after the devastating floods of June 2022. In Sindh province, 69,123 confirmed cases of malaria were reported in August 2022, compared to 19,826 confirmed cases in August 2021 Stagnant water attracts mosquitoes and resources are lacking: more than 1,460 health facilities have been affected by the floods, of which 432 are severely damaged.
Every 2 minutes, 1 child dies from malaria
Malaria is uneven and certain population groups are more at risk of contracting the disease and developing severe disease. If pregnant women, people infected with HIV or with weak immunities are concerned, the youngest remain the first victims of this scourge.
Nearly 80% of malaria deaths are children under 5, and most of the remaining 20% are children under 10 and pregnant women!
In most countries in sub-Saharan Africa, where malaria is the main cause of pediatric hospitalization and the first cause of infant mortality, economic inequalities are a determining factor. Rapid care for the youngest suffering from fever is much rarer in the poorest and least educated populations. Already weakened by malnutrition, the children often do not have the necessary resources to fight against the disease.
While the distribution of impregnated mosquito nets is an effective practice increasingly adopted by mothers of young children, a recent phenomenon worries health authorities: the resistance of mosquitoes to the four classes of commonly used insecticides is developing and risks increasing the the number of victims.
At the same time, the hope linked to “RTS,S”, the world’s first antimalarial vaccine, could be a crucial turning point in the fight against malaria. Launched in 2019 in a pilot program in Ghana, Kenya and Malawi, this vaccine, which significantly reduces potentially fatal malaria, was recommended by WHO on October 6, 2021. This year, which marks the end of of this pilot program is decisive, in order to understand the added value of the 4th dose of vaccine and to measure its longer-term impact on infant mortality.
The Covid-19 aggravating factor?
While the work carried out jointly by countries and their national malaria control programs (NMCPs), with the support of WHO and their partners, has averted the worst, nearly 63,000 additional deaths and 13 million cases malaria can be attributed to the disruption caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.
Even in countries like the Central African Republic where the pandemic has not reached the levels of severity feared, Covid-19 has had colossal effects on the already insufficient national health system. In many countries, the attention paid to the health crisis has deprived many people of medical care, including the prevention and monitoring of malaria cases.
But while health services in many countries are still disrupted, the Covid-19 pandemic cannot be held solely responsible. The intensification of conflicts, droughts, the food crisis and floods are all reasons that add to the socio-economic factors that undermine the care of people exposed and infected by malaria.
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