The Fight to Stop Malaria and Its Problems

The Fight to Stop Malaria and Its Problems

It is well known that malaria is the cause for many deaths around the planet, but what people fail to realize is the exact extent of it and how many people it actually kills. To put it simply, half the planet’s population is at risk of being infected by malaria, and reports from 2016 have shown that every two minutes a child has died due to malaria. Sadly, as is the case with many of the current diseases affecting humanity, malaria is more incline to affect women and the young.

Malaria affects people who have their immunity either compromised or lower due to certain conditions. Because of this, women who are also pregnant are more vulnerable to being affected by malaria. The infection rate is increased and as such, the women are expected to suffer from anemia and can even give birth to child prematurely, or even miscarriage.  Besides the normal health risks, the women are also affected on an emotional and economical level.

The harsh reality in Africa is also the fact that a lot of adolescent girls become pregnant. Sadly, these girls are often excluded and marginalized from society and this will also increase their exposure chance to malaria.

Even if, hypothetically, a cure would be discovered to combat malaria efficiently, there will have to be an entirely separate campaign dedicated to helping the affected women and children of Africa. This has to be taken into consideration as the application and successful results of the cure depend in no small part to the general health and quality of life that women have. It is a matter of public health and not just the simple vaccination of every individual.

This is exemplified by the fact that we already have some preventive means to combat malaria but information from the World Health Organization tells us that under 70% of women do not have access or receive these required doses during their pregnancies.

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