Page 54 - Bulletin, Vol.81 No.1, May 2022

Video: https://www.arte.tv/fr/videos/078139-000-A/un-tsunami-sur-le-lac-leman/

Reading: « A tsunami Léman TAUREDUNUM 563 by Pierre Yves Frei and Sandra
Marongiu (ISBN 978-2-88915-344-2)

Translated by Michelene GALLEMAND

WHERE ARE WE WITH MALARIA?

By Dr. David COHEN

According to WHO, paludism or malaria typically manifests itself through fever,
headaches, muscular pains, shivers, fever and sweating and kills a child every two
minutes world-wide. 93 to 94% of these children are on the African continent and the
majority are younger than five.

In 2020, paludism killed 627,000 persons (figures provide by the World Health
Organisation) an increase compared to 2019 due to the Covid-19 pandemic. At the
beginning of the century (2000), this figure reached 839,000.

Paludism is caused by a parasite. The plasmodium (of which there are five variations
and the most serious are Plasmodium Falciparum and Plasmodium Vivax) is
transmitted by an infected mosquito – the female anopheles.
Despite progress made, there are still important challenges to overcome. On a world
scale, more than three billion persons – almost 50% of the world population – are
exposed to the risk of contracting paludism.

The World Day against Paludism takes place each year on 25 April. The aim is to
remind us that many people still do not have access to proper medical care. Only one
child out of five in Africa receives the necessary medical care to fight against this illness.

Concerning prevention, WHO recommends using mosquito nets that have been
treated with a long-lasting insecticide and spraying the interior of homes.

Treatment of paludism

Many preventive and curable treatments have been used against paludism but with a
varying rate of success as paludism is becoming more resistant to these treatments.
Currently, the best treatment seems to be the derivatives of artemisinin.
First vaccine against the parasite

In October 2021, WHO announced the massive deployment of the first anti-paludism
vaccine for children living in Sub-Sahara Africa and in risk areas – praising this “historic
event”. This vaccine will, in itself, not eradicate the disease but it can be added to the
anti-paludism supplies.

52 AAFI-AFICS BULLETIN, Vol. 81 No. 1, 2022-05