Development and HealthMalaria

Malaria Treatment [Date]

Today I will:- Know the different ways to treat malaria and be able to comment on the effectiveness of each method

Development and HealthMalaria

You need to know [A] the different ways to treat malaria and also be able to [B] comment on the effectiveness of the treatments.

As we go through the PowerPoint fill in the worksheet provided.

Development and HealthMalaria

1. Try to eradicate the mosquito (the vector)

Development and HealthMalaria

[A] Insecticides e.g. DDT and now Malathion.

[B] Mosquitos can develop a resistance to the insecticides and they can have health implications. DDT banned in developed world.

Development and HealthMalaria

[A] Mustard seeds thrown on the water that becomes wet and sticky so dragging the mosquito larvae under, drowning them.

[B] This is very wasteful, particularly in areas where food is scarce.

Development and HealthMalaria

[A] Larvae-eating fish (such as the muddy loach) can be bred in ponds.

[B] Fish can be an additional food source containing protein.

Development and HealthMalaria

[B] This is expensive but very effective. In the Cayman Islands when sterile males were released there was an 80% drop in the mosquito population after 80 days in an 10 hectare area.

[A] Genetic engineering, e.g. engineering sterile male mosquitoes so that they do not breed.

Development and HealthMalaria

2. Drugs to try and eradicate the parasite from the patient’s bloodstream

Development and HealthMalaria

[A] Drugs like Lariam and Malarone can be taken orally by the patient

[B] Larium has side-effects (nightmares) and malarone is very expensive.

Development and HealthMalaria

[A] Qinghaosu extracted from artemisinin plant is a traditional Chinese medicine to treat malaria.

[B] Generally well tolerated but the plant takes about 18 months to grow and treatment regimens can be too long for the poorest areas.

Development and HealthMalaria

[A] Continued search for a vaccine.

[B] This is still not available and more money is being ploughed into weight loss drug than malaria cure!

Development and HealthMalaria

3. Education programmes

Development and HealthMalaria

[A] Education on the use of insect repellents e.g. Autan and covering the skin at dawn and dusk when the mosquitoes are most active.

[B] This is not always practical.

Development and HealthMalaria

[A] Education on the use of Insecticide Treated Bed-Nets (ITN).

[B] Some areas of rural Tanzania people do not use bed nets as they believe they trap in evil spirits which leave the body during the night.

Development and HealthMalaria

[A] WHO ‘Roll Back Malaria’ campaign and The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

[B] Good, but billions of dollars must be raised.