Introduction
Malaria is a parasite disease that primarily affects those living in poverty in subtropical and tropical regions. Malaria outbreaks are most common in underprivileged areas of Africa, although the disease can strike anyone. In severe cases of malaria, death can occur within days if treatment is delayed (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 2022). Plasmodium (often called the malaria parasite) has been responsible for as many as 200,000 baby deaths annually (Ngonghala, 2022). Seven out of every ten children under five years will contract malaria at some point in their lives. More than 200 million cases of illness and 600,000 fatalities can be attributed to malaria every year (Ngonghala, 2022). Using treated nets and insect repellents, as well as mosquito-control techniques like insecticides and draining stagnant water, can help decrease the spread of malaria.
Spread of Malaria
Macaque monkeys are specifically adapted to house the malaria parasite. The plasmodium parasite is transmitted when mosquitoes suck their blood. The mosquito consumes the microgametocytes and macrogametocytes, where they multiply and finally reach the salivary glands (Ngonghala, 2022). After a mosquito has begun preying on a human, the plasmodium parasite is introduced into the host’s body.
Symbion Pandora vs. Plasmodium
Symbion Pandora has three phases of development during its life cycle, whereas the plasmodium parasite only has two. Malaria is spread from one human to another by female Anopheles mosquitoes. When female mosquitoes produce eggs, they need blood as a food source, which provides a vital link in the parasite’s life cycle between humans and mosquito hosts. The human liver is the first host for the parasite’s growth and reproduction. The parasite’s following targets are the red blood cells, after which plasmodium destroys the cells. As a result, merozoites are released and continue killing off red blood cells (Pandian, 2021). All the clinical signs of malaria can be traced back to this blood stage of the malaria parasite’s life cycle. Female mosquitoes consume gametocytes during feeding, which reproduce in the mosquito’s digestive tract. After arriving in the mosquito’s salivary glands, the sporozoites begin to proliferate and develop. Here the mosquito finds a human to bite, and the process repeats itself.
Symbion Pandora is a parasite that rapidly reproduces inside the mouths of Norwegian lobsters. Unlike plasmodium, Symbion Pandora reproduces sexually and asexually, where sexual reproduction occurs by budding off young. Only when its host, the Norwegian lobster, is molting does the sexual cycle begin. The male mates with the developing female by attaching to her during her feeding period. The feeding stage is bypassed, and she connects herself to the host. The female Symbion Pandora is the host for the developing larva until her death, at which point the larva is free to leave (Pandian, 2021). They have rapid reproductive rates and the ability to switch sexes according to their environment and the contents of the trunk in which they find themselves, in contrast to the malaria parasite.
Countries Preventing the Spread of Malaria
Policies and initiatives developed by the World Health Organization (WHO) have proven effective in slowing the disease’s spread. While specifics vary from one nation to another, many of these initiatives entail disseminating insecticide-treated bed nets to the general populace. Most of these nets are three-month-long pesticide-treated nets (Ngonghala, 2022). They also include preventative measures such as immunization and the use of insecticide spray around the perimeter of people’s dwellings, particularly around the base of wall surfaces, window frames, and doors. Many people feel better after taking a second dose of anti-malarial medication. Other patients are treated with a blend of anti-malarial medications.
The Efforts of Biologists
Some biologists have been analyzing DNA to predict whether a person would get malaria. A few individuals are immune to the disease because they possess a gene that protects them from it. The ability to duplicate this gene and distribute it to areas with high malaria rates could help many people in the future. These scientists always try new things, such as insecticide-treated drapes (Ngonghala, 2022). Additionally, research and development of insecticides resistant to being washed away are ongoing. Scientists have come a long way, but they are still far off before malaria can be fully contained.
Organizations Preventing the Spread of Malaria
Companies and groups like Malaria No More, Exxon-Mobil, Ashanti Gold, Nothing but Nets, and CDC Foundation all contribute to the funding of efforts to combat the spread of malaria by covering the price of pesticide spray and bed nets. They are trying to raise money for over-the-bed nets that have been treated with an insecticide. Due to the increased use of insecticide-treated nets, the number of malaria cases among African children under the age of five has decreased by 20% during the last ten years (Pandian, 2021). Therefore, solid evidence shows these nets help stop the spread of malaria.
Conclusion
The poor in subtropical and tropical regions are disproportionately affected by malaria. Malaria transmission can be slowed using treated nets, insect repellents, and other measures to reduce mosquito populations, such as applying insecticides and eradicating standing water. Female Anopheles mosquitoes are responsible for transmitting malaria from one person to another. The parasite Symbion Pandora multiplies quickly inside the mouths of Norwegian lobsters. While approaches to controlling malaria spread vary by country, many programs involve distributing bed nets treated with insecticide. Efforts to discover and refine water-repellent insecticides that cannot be easily eliminated are ongoing. The drop in malaria cases among African children under five has been attributed to the widespread adoption of insecticide-treated bed nets.
References
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2022). Treatment of malaria: Guidelines for clinicians (United States). Web.
Ngonghala, C. N. (2022). Assessing the impact of insecticide-treated nets in the face of insecticide resistance on malaria control. Journal of Theoretical Biology, 555, 111281. Web.
Pandian, T. J. (2021). Reproduction and development in minor phyla. CRC Press.