Malaria a Result and a Cause of Poverty



	Malaria a Result and a Cause of Poverty Brandon Sun “Small World” Column, Monday, October 28 / 24 Zack Gross There is no doubt that the conflicts in Eastern Europe and the Middle East are grabbing the headlines these days, and with good reason. However, under the media radar, diseases such as malaria are at least as effective at killing people and destroying economies. In some parts of the tropical world, the impact of malaria is being pushed back, but in Africa it continues to be a scourge. I remember on a visit to East Africa 10 years ago to visit Canadian-sponsored development projects, we were sitting around the dinner table at a restaurant along Lake Victoria, enjoying the scenery, food and companionship, and at the same time feeling concern about the mosquitoes (Anopheles) buzzing around our legs. Compared to Manitoba, there are not a lot of mosquitoes, but they are potentially more dangerous, even deadly. The most recent statistics from the United Nations point out that in 2022, there were 250 million reported cases of malaria, causing 600,000 deaths, 94% of those in Africa. Half the population of the world, living in 85 countries, are at risk, with malaria often being the leading cause of death. As well, malaria can return to a person who has survived it, to make them sick again, despite any buildup of immunity. Hot, humid weather in much of Africa, especially in rural areas and along rivers helps mosquitoes breed year-round. As with most negative situations in our world, it is the poor who suffer the most, whether from climate change, disease or conflict. Those affected by malaria would not have screens on their windows to keep the insects out, would have little access to control measures such as insecticidal sprays or bed nets, reduced access to testing and medical intervention, and no money for pharmaceuticals. Children under the age of five make up a large part of those dying of malaria as they have not built up immunity yet, and pregnant women as well, because immunity changes with their condition. Not only are lives lost to malaria, but communities and economies are badly affected. Students miss school, adults are absent from jobs, the cost of medical intervention, funerals and burials is high, orphans made need to be taken care of by relatives, thus the poorest part of our world becomes poorer. Typically, when we as development workers would leave Africa to head back home, we would leave our extra malaria medications with our African colleagues for their use in case of infection or re-infection. Areas of South Asia and the Middle East/North Africa have been improving their malaria situation. Economic development and urbanization have driven mosquitoes out of newly urbanized areas. As well, government policies, for as much as the last one hundred years in many countries, have aimed to eradicate the insect and the disease, with measures such as controlling where crops are grown, administering larva-killing sprays, draining some wetlands, and improving health care measures. Egypt very recently was declared malaria-free after a hundred years of effort and six thousand years of dealing with the disease. The Boy King, Tutankhamen, is thought to have died at the age of nineteen from malaria in 1324 BC. In the Middle East region, Morocco and the United Arab Emirates have also been declared malaria-free in recent years, which means there have been no cases for three consecutive years. However, experts say that it can always return, so officials need to stay vigilant. The world is also still dealing with major on-going diseases such as tuberculosis, measles, influenza and diarrhea. While these particularly affect people in poorer countries, some are making a comeback in wealthier areas as people become complacent or non-compliant about getting preventative shots. As well, as the world adopts some of the more unhealthy aspects of Western society, such as high-fat, sugary and salty fast foods, heart disease has become a major health risk. Rounding out the vulnerabilities, environmentally-caused illness is another factor today, such as the air pollution caused by vehicles in large cities and the piling up of refuse in countries that don’t have regular garbage, recycling and composting regimens. These health issues, from malaria to allergies, are not often enough highlighted in our daily news. They aren’t always as dramatic as natural disaster or violent conflict, but they surely are as effective as daily killers of innocent people. Zack Gross is Board Chair of The Marquis Project, a Brandon-based international development organization, and co-author of the new book The Fair Trade Handbook: Building a Better World, Together. * * * * * Return to Articles page