The Need to Control Malaria in India
The Need to Control Malaria in India
Mains Exam: General Studies Paper 3
(Science and Technology: Various diseases and diagnosis)
August 29, 2023
Foreword:
- Many countries around the world are fighting against malaria. It is a fatal disease. Malaria still remains a serious challenge in the world's health problems. Ignoring this disease, people often have to suffer a lot.
- The World Health Organization believes that many lives can be saved around the world by running a malaria control program.
- Although rapid scientific developments in the past two decades and global programs for malaria eradication have resulted in a reduction in the incidence of the disease, it is still not under complete control.
Malaria:
- In the rainy season, along with dengue, the number of malaria patients also increases rapidly.
- Malaria spreads very fast in unhygienic areas and moist areas.
- It is believed that this disease was first found in China.
- At that time, it was called 'swamp fever' because of this disease flourishing due to dirt.
- Malaria is caused by the bite of 'Anopheles' female mosquito, which is infected with 'Plasmodium' parasite and when this mosquito bites someone, these parasites enter the human blood and start damaging the liver and red blood cells.
- The number of mosquitoes increases significantly during summer and monsoon, so malaria is usually highest during these seasons.
- According to health experts, many malaria are very dangerous, due to which the patient dies.
- There is an area of 'Resistant Malaria' in India. Apart from this, 'falciparum' malaria is more dangerous, in which blood pressure can decrease, kidneys and liver can stop working and the patient can go into coma. In this, if the patient does not get proper treatment soon, he may die.
- Malaria fever is of five types - Lasmodium falciparum, sodium vivax, Plasmodium oval malaria, Plasmodium malariae and Plasmodium knowlesi.
- In Plasmodium falciparum, the victim becomes completely unconscious. Due to continuous vomiting in this fever, a person's life can also be lost.
- In sodium vivax the mosquito produces benign tertian malaria, which starts showing its effect after 48 hours.
- Plasmodium malariae is a type of protozoan, which is responsible for benign malaria. In this disease, quartern malaria occurs, in which the patient gets fever every fourth day. Swelling occurs due to deficiency of protein in the patient's body.
Symptoms of Malaria:
- Malaria often causes high fever, headache, muscle pain, pain in hands and feet, severe pain in chest and abdomen, nervousness, excessive sweating, nausea, vomiting, body cramps, cough, extreme chills. , Blood coming with stool, weakness etc. symptoms emerge.
- Ignoring these symptoms for a long time can make the condition serious. Although the symptoms of malaria can be seen within 24 to 48 hours, but the parasites of malaria sometimes lie dormant in the body for a long time.
- In this case, the symptoms of malaria can develop in ten days to four weeks after infection and sometimes this time can be more.
- In case of simple malaria, the patient can be cured in three to five days with the right treatment, but in case of 'severe falciparum malaria', the death of the patient can also happen if timely and proper treatment is not given.
Malaria cases worldwide:
- According to the United Nations, more than 200 million new cases of malaria are registered worldwide every year.
- Many lakhs of these people die. Malaria is one of the deadliest parasitic diseases in the world.
- In 2017, more than 21.9 crore cases were reported globally and about 4.35 lakh people died.
- It is estimated that 200 million people are at risk from malaria each year, including 900 million residents of endemic countries and 125 million international tourists.
- Most of its patients recover quickly after treatment, but if treatment is delayed, serious complications such as coma or death can occur.
- While achieving the ambitious goal of zero malaria, the United Nations says an increasing number of countries are now approaching the goal of malaria elimination.
- The number of countries with less than 100 cases of malaria increased from 6 to 27 between 2000 and 2019, according to World Health Organization data.
Malaria cases in India:
- In the context of India, the World Health Organization had estimated between 27 and 59 lakh cases in India in 2020 in the 'World Malaria Report 2021', while the official figures of the Government of India showed only 1.87 lakh cases. .
- About 70 per cent of the population receives diagnosis and treatment in the private sector, according to data from the National Sample Survey on Health in 2017-18.
- India recorded 10.09 lakh cases of malaria in 2016, while anti-malarial drugs worth Rs 626.1 crore were sold nationwide, much higher than officially disclosed figures.
- According to the World Malaria Report 2022, India accounts for about 79 per cent of all malaria cases and 83 per cent of deaths in the South-East Asia region.
- WHO estimates that India's socio-economic burden due to malaria is about US$ 2 billion, underscoring the magnitude of the disease and the urgent need to eliminate it.
- At the East Asia Summit in 2015, the Prime Minister had resolved to make India malaria-free by 2030, after which continuous efforts are being made to control the disease by giving impetus to the country's health system, but experts say that to achieve this target of eliminating malaria by 2030, India should have zero cases of malaria by 2027 and maintain such zero cases for three consecutive years to get official certification of elimination by WHO.
Malaria Free Certificate:
- Any country is officially recognized as a malaria-free nation by WHO only when,
- When it factually certifies that the number of cases of malaria transmission detected in that country has been zero for at least three years nationwide.
Conclusion:
- Although the incidence of malaria is declining globally, its serious public health impact remains worrisome. Sustained funding, monitoring systems, community contact and dialogue are the keys to success. On the prospect of a malaria-free future for the world, the United Nations is clear that malaria can be defeated only with strong political commitment, adequate investment and the right mix of strategies.
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Mains Exam Question
What is malaria disease? Discuss its effect in India and the efforts made for its solution.