Why Do We Fail To Control Malaria?

Why Do We Fail To Control Malaria?

Mangalore Today News Network

By Dr. Raghavendra Bhat
Mangalore, Sep 19, 2014: Malaria is an ancient disease. It is a shame that Malaria still kills and kills more people than AIDS does. It is a disease produced by the malarial parasite (a unicellular organism),  which should by  sheer chance find a female anopheles mosquito at the right time  for its very survival. This mosquito  thus infected (vector) has to bite a human being at the appropriate time to inject the half developed  malarial parasite into the blood of a human being so that the development is continued. There is no  need to overemphasize the "strength" of the parasite as we are well aware that the infections mainly  by the Plasmodium falciparum can be lethal because of damage to multiple organs (kidney, brain, liver  being the commonest).

 

Don’t we have medicines strong enough? We do! Don’t we have government support?We do! Then what  is the problem? Why are we failing? Well I am ashamed to tell you why.  As you have rightly understood,  this disease can be compared to a chain with 3 links -  the malarial parasite at the bottom of the evolutionary scale; the female anopheles mosquito a little above that with some independent abilities  but still needing sheer chance to come into contact with 2 different species at the right time for   continuation of the cycle; and the human being on the highest scale of evolution who has tremendous knowledge and intelligence and can work wonders if he wants to. But there is a strange fallacy - these   two "lowly evolved" species work single minded for their survival while the human being overwhelmed  by greed  works at cross purposes mainly to undermine and destroy others of his own species.

New constructions have boomed everywhere. Cheap labour is imported  who also have untreated or partly  treated malaria. Treating them would cost very little to the builder but is never done (and they have  the malarial parasite in their blood always). Water is added and kept for curing of the concrete which  provides ideal conditions for mosquito breeding. Adding guppy fish will control this but is never done  basically  due to the mentally of the builders. Naturally malaria is rampant around new construction  sites. No wonder then the maximum attacks and repeat attacks are found in construction industry. Now,  you know one of the reasons why malaria is not being controlled.   The other important reason is that we have evolved backward in our civic sense while we progressed   forward economically. We get a pleasure out of throwing garbage into our neighborhood - in fact   anywhere as long as it is outside our compound! Also drugs are not taken properly by the patients - self (mis)treatment is rampant. Chemist assisted mistreatment is more dangerous. Non reporting of   the cases denies opportunity for a proper control. If we humans do not mend our ways, forget about   eliminating malaria, the parasite will one day succeed in eliminating the human race! Let us wake up to  hard facts. It is still not too late!

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Dr. Raghavendra Bhat: A gold medalist in studies, the author is a professor and  medical practitioner, has  5 medical books and an anthology of poems to his credit. Also an eminent speaker, Dr. RV Bhat, practices at Chitra Clinic, Hampankatta, Mangalore. The author can be contacted at: nita2005bhat@yahoo.co.in

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