Introduction
Malaria is one of the critical issues for global health as it causes millions of clinical cases and thousands of deaths every year. Unfortunately, the most impacted nations belong to developing countries, where determinants of health are more affected compared to advanced economies. In particular, such determinants as behavior factors, environmental conditions, socioeconomic status, healthcare infrastructure, and healthcare inform the severity of the malaria problem. In order to address these determinants, it is critical to educate people regarding prevention methods, implement larval control, deliver insecticide-treated bed nets to emerging nations, develop mass drug administration, and ensure professional case management accordingly.
Discussion
Several health determinants are related to the global malaria crisis, including behavior factors, environmental conditions, socioeconomic status, healthcare infrastructure, and healthcare. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 600,000 people died from malaria in 2020, most from sub-Saharan Africa (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDCP], 2022). They are people from developing nations who lack proper knowledge regarding prevention methods and hygiene behaviors. The most vulnerable social groups include children and pregnant women who have insufficient immunity against the disease because of ignorance of vaccination and lack of hygienic interventions.
Hence, affected nations live in specific environmental conditions which contribute to the spread of malaria. Unlike in countries with continental or temperate climates where diseases usually occur in seasonal frequency, local weather conditions in most malaria-affected areas allow transmission throughout the year (CDCP, 2022). Furthermore, in addition to the African continent, some countries in South America and South Asia also suffer from the substantial spread of malaria (CDCP, 2022). It can be explained due to the higher density of the population in those areas and the low socioeconomic status of most people (CDCP, 2022). As a result, many individuals from developing countries cannot afford proper living conditions that would protect them against the disease.
Moreover, healthcare infrastructure in those territories lacks systematic development and tends to fail in proper drug administration to make anti-malaria measures efficient (CDCP, 2022). Eventually, many people cannot receive the necessary medication to handle malaria fever and other symptoms. In addition, the lack of proper healthcare in particular cases makes eradicating malaria even more challenging. The gaps in healthcare services result in lower efficiency of treatment and drug resistance among the population (CDCP, 2022). Overall, the health determinants of behavior factors, environmental specifics, socioeconomic disparities, healthcare infrastructure, and healthcare contribute to the adverse effects of malaria disease, resulting in many deaths worldwide.
Nonetheless, several ways can help eliminate the global malaria issue, such as education regarding prevention methods, larval control, provision of insecticide-treated bed nets, mass drug administration, and professional case management. First, education for affected nations can help increase vaccination rates and spread useful hygiene habits in society (CDCP, 2022). Vaccination is critical to building a proper immune response to infection, especially among children and women who plan to give birth (CDCP, 2022). Unfortunately, women in developing countries lack proper education and, consequently, neglect the opportunity to vaccinate themselves and their children. That is why providing necessary information regarding vaccines and the ways to receive them can contribute to improvement in the clinical and death rates in society.
In addition, knowledge about indoor residual spraying is critical to decreasing transmission in affected areas. Encouraging the population to disinfect their homes may reduce the spread and frequency of disease. Secondly, to address the environmental determinant, it is essential to implement “interventions targeting the larval stages of the mosquito” (CDCP 2022, “Vector Control”). Since mosquitos are major malaria transmitters, such interventions as biological control, chemical larviciding, and source reduction can help profoundly in the elimination of disease (CDCP, 2022). Furthermore, in areas where insecticide-treated bed nets were provided to families, the number of children’s deaths was reduced by 20% in five years (CDCP, 2022). Since the low socioeconomic status of people in affected areas does not allow them to upgrade their homes, it is essential that global organizations provide such bed nets to these nations.
Another determinant, the healthcare infrastructure, can be addressed through mass drug administration (MDA). In highly mobile populations, MDA helps to address social vulnerability and contribute to the elimination of disease (Gao, Saralamba, Lubell, White, Dondorp & Aguas 2020). Finally, to address the insufficient healthcare in affected nations, it is critical to start with case management, which suggests proper diagnosis and treatment to an individual (CDCP, 2022). Since diagnosis might be challenging due to the similarity of malaria symptoms with other diseases, investment in healthcare staff is necessary for developing nations. The improvement in healthcare service can also help reduce the issue of drug resistance because patients would be informed and monitored better. Eventually, education, larval control, provision of insecticide-treated bed nets, mass drug administration, and professional case management can help address crucial health determinants in populations suffering from the malaria crisis.
Conclusion
All in all, various health determinants contribute to the malaria crisis globally. The determinant of behavior factors might be addressed by informing people about vaccination and disinfection methods. Hence, the aspect of environmental conditions should be addressed through larval interventions. In order to address the determinant of poor socioeconomic status, it is essential to provide vulnerable nations with insecticide-treated bed nets. In terms of healthcare infrastructure, it appears that mass drug administration is the most efficient way to eliminate the disease. Finally, to address the determinant of healthcare service, it is helpful to invest in the professional development of local staff, focusing on prompt case management.
References
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2022). CDCP – Parasites – Malaria. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Web.
Gao, B., Saralamba, S., Lubell, Y., White, L. J., Dondorp, A. M., & Aguas, R. (2020). Determinants of MDA impact and designing mdas towards malaria elimination. ELife, 9. Web.