Health
Why Malaria Remains A Killer, By Expert
The Deputy Director, Re
search and Head of Malaria Research Programme, Nigerian Institute of Medical Research (NIMR), Dr Sam Awolola says malaria is endemic in Nigeria
According to him, “It is responsible for absenteeism at workplaces and, as such, affects productivity because of loss of man-hour,” he said.
Explaining the mode of transmission, he said: “Malaria is caused by a parasite called plasmodium carried by an anopheles mosquito.
“There are several species of plasmodium depending on where people are. There are some that even attack animals, the one that attacks human is called plasmodium falciparum, this is found in Nigeria, other African countries and Asia”.
Besides, 98 per cent of malaria is caused by mosquitoes having plasmodium falciparum.
Malariaa has become widespread in Nigeria because most environments are dirty and therefore become breeding ground for anopheles mosquitoes.
Awolola continued, “An anopheles mosquito gets the parasites from an infected person through bites, then the parasites go into the mosquito to develop into what is called the infected stage and after two or three days the mosquito goes back to bite again and transmit the parasites into human body.
The researcher said the most efficient mosquito, which transmits malaria parasites, is common in the country because of its geographical location.
Awolola said artemisinim-based combination therapy (ACT) is the most effective drug for malaria treatment.
Talking about cure, he said, chloroquine has failed. This, he said, is because there are parasites that have become resistant to it, particularly owing to its mismanagement.
He said chloroquine is still a very effective drug, however, but most people take substandard dosage while some do not take the required regimen and so the parasites have developed resistance to the drug. “This is why we changed from chloroquine and other monotherapies to ACT. ACT is a combination of two different drugs of two varying modes of action therefore it is very effective against the parasites. In Cambodia and other parts of Asia they have also resulted to ACT. That cannot mean there is no resistance to ACT. What we try to do at NMIR is to be vigilant. This effort is called pharmaco vigilance. We monitor the use of chloroquine in the field, and the parasites with reaction to chloroquine, we’ve researched into how the drug has been effective over the parasites over the years,” he said.
For the prevention of the disease, he said there are three things which people must do.
The first, they should use long lasting insecticide nets. There is also indoor residual spray where people put chemical on the wall of the houses thereby killing the mosquitoes that come in. Another method is to use personal preventive measures where people can use aerosol in the houses.
Expectant mothers, he said, can prevent malaria. “This is called preventive measure in pregnancy, in intermittent preventive treatment . For children, there is intermittent preventive measure. This is because many children die from malaria. Drugs are also meant for that.
“The best prevention however which is better than cure, is the one that prevents you from having malaria and the best method is to sleep under LLINs or your house gets treated with IRS,” he said.
Besides, they are very effective and must be used according to instructions. “However ,there are challenges in this area because mosquitoes are also adapting to the environment as the getting resistant to the insecticides. Atimes, you see some mosquitoes on the net and don’t die after being sprayed with insecticide that is called insecticide resistance.
Two United States scientists who unraveled the human micro RNA have won the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 2024.
Victor Ambros and Gary Ruvkun won the coveted prize for their work on microRNA as their discoveries help explain how complex life emerged on earth and how the human body is made up of a wide variety of different tissues.
MicroRNAs influence how genes – the instructions for life – are controlled inside organisms, including humans.
Every cell in the human body contains the same raw genetic information, locked in our DNA.
However, despite starting with the identical genetic information, the cells of the human body are wildly different in form and function.
The electrical impulses of nerve cells are distinct from the rhythmic beating of heart cells. The metabolic powerhouse that is a liver cell is distinct to a kidney cell, which filters urea out of the blood.
The light-sensing abilities of cells in the retina are different in skillset to white blood cells that produce antibodies to fight infection.
So much variety can arise from the same starting material because of gene expression.
The US scientists were the first to discover microRNAs and how they exerted control on how genes are expressed differently in different tissues.
The medicine and physiology prize winners are selected by the Nobel Assembly of Sweden’s Karolinska Institute.
They said: “Their groundbreaking discovery revealed a completely new principle of gene regulation that turned out to be essential for multicellular organisms, including humans.
“It is now known that the human genome codes for over 1,000 microRNAs.”
The World Health Organisation (WHO) has begun acting to curb effects of antibiotic pollution.
The new guidance on wastewater and solid waste management for antibiotic manufacturing sheds light on this important but neglected challenge ahead of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) High-Level Meeting on antimicrobial resistance (AMR) taking place on 26 September 2024.
The emergence and spread of AMR caused by antibiotic pollution could undermine the effectiveness of antibiotics globally, including the medicines produced at the manufacturing sites responsible for the pollution.
Despite high antibiotic pollution levels being widely documented, the issue is largely unregulated and quality assurance criteria typically do not address environmental emissions. In addition, once distributed, there is a lack of information provided to consumers on how to dispose of antibiotics when they are not used, for example, when they expire or when a course is finished but there is still antibiotic left over.
“Pharmaceutical waste from antibiotic manufacturing can facilitate the emergence of new drug-resistant bacteria, which can spread globally and threaten our health. Controlling pollution from antibiotic production contributes to keeping these life-saving medicines effective for everyone,” said Dr Yukiko Nakatani, WHO Assistant Director-General for AMR ad interim.
Globally, there is a lack of accessible information on the environmental damage caused by manufacturing of medicines.
“The guidance provides an independent and impartial scientific basis for regulators, procurers, inspectors, and industry themselves to include robust antibiotic pollution control in their standards,” said Dr Maria Neira, Director, Department of Environment, Climate Change and Health, WHO. “Critically, the strong focus on transparency will equip buyers, investors and the general public to make decisions that account for manufacturers’ efforts to control antibiotic pollution.”
In a concerted effort to curb brain drain, the Kebbi State Government has harmonised medical doctors’ salaries to be at par with their colleagues in the federal government’s tertiary health facilities.
Kebbi State Commissioner for Health, Musa Inusa-Isma’il, disclosed this at the handing over of ambulances to the state-owned health facilities at the Ministry of Health in Birnin Kebbi yesterday.
Inusa Isma’il, according to a statement by Ahmed Idris, the Chief Press Secretary to the governor, said the essence of the harmonisation was to retain the existing medical doctors and attract more to the services of the state.
According to him, the doctors across the state had already started enjoying the new salaries from August 2024.
He said the release of the vehicles was in fulfilment of Governor Nasir Idris’ promise to uplift health care services in the state.
“His Excellency said I should inform you, the beneficiaries of this gesture, that the vehicle should be strictly used for the intended purpose. It should not be used for anything else.
“If there is no referral case, each of the vehicles must be parked at the hospital by 6 pm. The governor said you should warn your drivers against reckless driving as well as violating the instructions.
“We should also do everything possible to reciprocate the gesture by working according to the terms and conditions attached,” he advised.
The benefiting health facilities included Sir Yahaya Memorial Hospital, Birnin Kebbi; State Teaching Hospital, Kalgo; General Hospital, Argungu; General Hospital, Yauri; General Hospital, Zuru; and General Hospital, Bunza.
In his speech, the permanent secretary of the ministry, Dr Shehu Koko, recalled that the ambulances were handed over to the ministry last Friday by the governor for the onward handover to the benefiting hospitals.
He observed that the ambulances would go a long way in improving the referral system in the state, adding that delays in reaching the secondary and tertiary facilities would be eliminated.
The permanent secretary attributed the high rate of maternal mortality in the country to delays in getting to the health facilities for proper medical care.
“We believe with the provision of these ambulances, part of the gaps we have in our referral system will be addressed, whereby patients who require secondary healthcare could be easily transported to secondary and tertiary health centres, where they can get such help,” he said.
In a goodwill message, Commissioner for Information and Culture Alhaji Yakubu Ahmed expressed gratitude to the governor for the support he has given to the ministry to excel.
While advising the beneficiaries to use the vehicles judiciously, the commissioner advised that services and maintenance of the vehicles must be prompt to derive the maximum benefits from the vehicles.
The commissioner also highlighted some achievements recorded by the government in the last year, including beautification of the state capital, completion of a multimillion-naira ultramodern state secretariat, road construction, construction and renovation of classrooms and upgrading of some health facilities, among others.