vector-borne disease

• Malaria:

  • Malaria is a vector-borne disease (parasite) carried by mosquitos 
  • Initially, there are no symptoms
  • After a few weeks, or even up to a year, flu-like symptoms appear
  • Fever, shaking chills, nausea, headaches, exhaustion, diarrhoea 
  • It can be fatal
  • Roughly 240 million people contract malaria annually 
• Malaria:

  • There are many different contributing factors to high incidences of malaria
  • However, poverty is the most prominent issue
  • Malaria has been eradicated from much of the developed world
  • Developed countries mainly worry about disease contraction during travel or as a result of the global spread of the disease
  • Malaria is mostly concentrated in Sub-Saharan Africa (the lowest levels of development) 
  • Malaria may spread around the world as global temperatures rise 
• Causes of Malaria

  • Anopheles mosquitos can carry the disease, and infect humans by biting
  • Malaria is more common in tropical and subtropical regions e.g. the Malaria Belt
  • The climate is warmer and more humid. It is the ideal environment for mosquitos to thrive and reproduce
  • Deforestation in rainforests also increases temperatures
  • Mosquitos thrive in areas with stagnant water 
  • Heavy rainfall and flooding can cause standing water 
  • Water collects in mining pits, irrigation channels and rice paddy fields, where mosquitos breed more efficiently 
• Causes of Malaria:

  • Vulnerability: 
  • Children under the age of 5
  • Pregnant women
  • Immunocompromised people e.g. HIV
  • Immunity to malaria may develop over time
  • If immunity wanes, cases of malaria will rise
  • Travellers or migrants may come from areas with no malaria, so they do not have immunity 
  • Mosquitoes are becoming immune to drugs
• Causes of Malaria:

  • Urbanisation may increase malaria
  • If unregulated development occurs near water bodies, people will come into direct contact with mosquito breeding grounds
• Causes of Malaria:

  • Low income and poverty:
  • Lower-income countries have very poor healthcare or reduced access to treatment and vaccines
  • Poor sanitation and water sources can result in more standing and stagnant water
  • Immune systems are weaker as a result of other diseases like malnutrition
  • Education rates are lower, resulting in less awareness about the disease and prevention methods
  • Jobs are usually labour-heavy, exposing people to mosquitos outdoors
• Impacts of Malaria in Ethiopia:

  • In 2019, Ethiopia recorded 2.9 million cases of malaria
  • Roughly 70% of Ethiopia is at risk of malaria contraction 
  • As of 2020, malaria cost Ethiopia around $200 million per year (about 10% of total outgoings on healthcare)
  • Education rates will go down as a result of children being off sick from school
• Impacts of Malaria in Ethiopia:

  • People can’t go to work due to sickness
  • Directly affects the economy 
  • Affects the agricultural sector and food production
  • People struggle to afford food
  • Direct effects on the well-being of the population e.g. anxiety, grief
  • Malaria impacts Death Rates, Infant Mortality Rates and Maternal Mortality Rates
• Impacts of Malaria in Ethiopia:

  • Pressure on healthcare systems:
  • More people require treatment and medication 
  • Increased staff shortages
  • Money goes into healthcare instead of economic or education development
  • This results in economic stagnation or decline
  • Medicines and other preventative measures, like nets or repellants against malaria, are costly
• Impacts of Malaria in Ethiopia:

  • Lack of education and technology results in a shortage of information or knowledge about malaria epidemics
  • Some areas in Ethiopia experience a lower incidence of malaria due to arid climates and higher elevations (physical barriers to diffusion) 
  • Impacts of malaria may also be seasonal, particularly after the rainy season
• • In 2003, malaria cases rapidly increased in Ethiopia 
  • UNICEF led the international response, with financial aid coming from the UK, the US and the World Health Organisation 
  • It funded drugs, supplies and other responses like training and investigations
  • However, the funding was not enough to fully eradicate malaria and has since gone down after the economic crash of 2008
  • Malaria is also becoming immune to some of the drugs 
  • Malaria won’t be eradicated from Ethiopia without dealing with development issues and poverty
• • The U.S President’s Malaria Initiative began in 2005
  • Helping to provide treatment for malaria
  • Working to reduce deaths, stop cases and eradicate the diseases altogether