By Davondre Huyler, Contributing Writer
Malaria is a parasitic disease transmitted through mosquito bites by mosquitoes that have been infected by a species of the malaria parasite. Malaria is prevalent in tropical and subtropical climates, most notably in the continent of Africa in the Sub-Saharan region. However, this disease is not only limited to such areas of the world.
Pregnant women and young children are the most affected groups. Children compromise more than half of the deaths caused by malaria, specifically in the Sub-Saharan region of Africa.
Malaria can be difficult to detect, especially if a country lacks the required resources because its symptoms are similar to other diseases and viruses. The symptoms of malaria include headaches, muscle aches, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, chills, fever, and flu-like symptoms.
There are about 2,000 cases of malaria each year in the United States. The malaria cases that occur in the United States are usually associated with travel. Tourists or people returning to the United States may have recently traveled from an area or country where malaria transmission is high and have been infected but was unaware. On average, malaria affects over 200 million people each year.
In 2020 alone, there were 241 million cases of malaria worldwide with 627, 000 deaths. These deaths mostly occurred in the World Health Organization (WHO) African Region, specifically accounting for 95 percent of the deaths.
Malaria is treated with prescribed antimalarial drugs. There is also a vaccine available that the WHO recommends especially for kids in Sub-Saharan Africa and other regions with high transmission.
World Malaria Day is on Apr. 25 of each year, and it was first held in 2008, although it was instituted by the WHO back in 2007. This day had originated from Africa Malaria Day, which was first held in 2001.
The purpose of this day is to spread awareness of the disease and the efforts being taken in order to control, prevent, and to hopefully eradicate it one day in the future. Malaria has a huge impact on the development of communities and society, henceforth the reason why action should be taken.
Many organizations accept donations to be used in the fight against malaria. The Against Malaria Foundation (AMF) is one of the most notable charities for the cause of fighting malaria. This foundation uses the funds to help developing countries in the fight against malaria by using the funds for long-lasting insecticide-treated nets (LLIN).
Other charities include Malaria Consortium, Malaria No More, and Nothing But Nets. The fight against malaria is far from done. A collective effort on a global scale is the only way we can potentially eradicate this disease and save countless lives.
