Geography A level Malaria Case Study

World wide risk of malaria

3.2 billion

type of disease

Endemic disease

Who estimates by 2015 how many clinical episodes + deaths?

214 million + 438000

Child hood deaths fraction

1/5

Physical causes

- temp of between 15-40

- high rainfall

- Anopheles female

- stagnant water

Areas of vegetation for shade to digest blood

Human causes

- houses create permanent shade for mosquitoes to rest

- global air travel contributes to spread - ('airport malaria')

- settlements provide large area for blood meals

- poor sanitation

- Man made areas of stagnant water

Effects of malaria

- Malaria leads to large number of children aged under five dying. Adults with malaria are too weak to work which leads to a loss of productivity or to them not being able to produce enough food for their family, they remain poor and have little to eat, making them increasingly vulnerable to disease.

- tourists can't live love laugh in those conditions

Managing malaria

A vaccine to cure malaria is still in the early stages of development so most methods are concerned with prevention and focus on either the host, or the vector.

Treating the host

• drugs, e.g. chloroquine.

• insect repellent, e.g. Autan (DEET).

• education, e.g. avoiding being bitten by covering arms and legs after dusk, and not wearing dark clothes.

• insecticide treated mosquito nets.

Treating vector

Draining breeding ground

Flush out dams

Short term aid

the Red Cross provide emergency medical care

Long term aid

The Red Cross help provide training and education in primary health care to improve overall health in regions impacted by malaria

Effectiveness of draining breeding grounds

impractical, they refill when it rains, and impossible to drain all breeding grounds. A puddle/tin can is enough water for mosquitoes to breed in.

Effectiveness of flushing out dams

defeats the purpose of a dam which is to store water and water, may also be in short supply.

Effectiveness of mosquito nets

cheap and effective.