Lakhs of people die every year due to various types of mosquito-borne diseases. According to recent reports, malaria cases are being seen increasing rapidly in many African countries these days. According to reports published in local media, there has been a huge increase in the number of malaria cases and deaths in Ethiopia in the last few months, more than 32 lakh cases have been registered here in just eight months.
Warning about the rapid spread of the disease in different parts of the East African country, the Health Ministry said that all people need to continue making efforts to prevent malaria. Every week around 70,000 people are getting infected here.
The Health Ministry said that the cases of this disease are being seen much higher than now. The rainy season will further increase the spread of the disease, this can be a time of serious crisis, and serious efforts are needed to prevent malaria. The number of malaria-related deaths in Ethiopia has increased from 611 in January to 764 in February as a result of the current outbreak, the UN office (UNOCHA) said.
Impact of malaria in African countries
According to media reports, apart from Ethiopia, there are reports of a rapid increase in this disease in many other countries like Kenya. Here too, the number of malaria cases and deaths has increased rapidly in the last few months.
World Health Organization officials have issued an alert regarding the threat of malaria in many African countries and have committed to taking immediate action to reduce deaths caused by this disease. 95% of malaria deaths globally are recorded in African countries.
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This disease is caused by parasites
It is noteworthy that malaria is a fatal disease spread to humans by infected mosquitoes. This infection is caused by a parasite although it does not spread from one person to another. Health experts say that in areas where malaria cases are increasing rapidly, people need to take serious measures to avoid mosquito bites.
To prevent malaria, health experts recommend vaccination of children in affected areas. In this sequence, a team of scientists has developed a new vaccine, for which good results have been seen.
Most used two vaccines
After decades of research and trials, scientists have developed a new vaccine (RTS, S vaccine) for the prevention of malaria, which is claimed to be effective in preventing this disease. In countries like Cameroon, vaccines have been being given to infants and children under five years of age since January.
Researchers say that in the tests, this vaccine is very effective in preventing malaria, and it is expected that it can achieve great success in the direction of malaria prevention.
What do health experts say?
Earlier, the World Health Organization had approved the R21 vaccine in December. This vaccine is already being used in some African countries. Health experts say that along with vaccination, there is a need to continue taking measures to prevent the breeding of mosquitoes including wearing sleeve protective clothing, and using of mosquito nets and insecticides to prevent malaria.
Health experts say malaria can be fatal and fatal in some situations, therefore continuous efforts should be made for prevention.
(PC: ISTOCK)
