Malaria In Ethiopia Flashcards
(24 cards)
How much of Ethiopia’s industry is agriculture as a share of its GDP?
45% of its GDP comes from agriculture
What is the GDP per capita in Ethiopia?
$3,500
What is meant by malaria being “endemic” to Ethiopia?
It is a disease that has and always will be there.
How many people die from Malaria in Ethiopia annually?
70,000
What area of Ethiopia is at most risk from the disease?
The western lowland regions, in Tigray, Amhara and Gambella provinces.
Why is transmission seasonal, and in what time of year does it peak?
Transmission rates rise and fall with the rainy and dry seasons. The peak transmission period occurs between June and September when rainfall peaks.
What is the pattern of malaria in Ethiopia’s eastern lowlands, Afar and Somali?
The arid climate in this region confines the disease to river valleys.
What region of Ethiopia is the safest from Malaria and why?
The central highlands, which comprises about a quarter of the country. This area is safe due to the relative low temperatures at the higher altitudes, which slows the development of mosquitos and the parasite itself.
What region of Ethiopia is the safest from Malaria and why?
94%
What climate does the malaria carrying mosquito thrive in?
Warm, humid climates with stagnant surface water.
What human factor affects the prevalence of the disease seasonally?
- Every year at harvest, there is large scale population movements, as people move from the malaria free highlands to the agricultural lowlands to harvest their crops. This coincides with the rainy season, and the peak malaria transmission period of June to September.
- This also results in workers continuing their work after sunset, which is when mosquitoes are most active, and many migrant workers sleep in the fields overnight.
How has the development of human infrastructure increased the prevalence of malaria?
- Irrigation projects in the Awash Valley and Gambella province, including canals, micro-dams and ponds, and the cultivation of rice has expanded the breeding grounds for malaria.
- Urbanisation has also had this effect, with flooded excavations, garbage dumps, discarded containers etc provide even more malaria breeding grounds.
What are the main issues with currents malaria treatment?
- The malaria parasites are becoming increasingly drug resistant.
- Malaria health research is extremely slow, with no breakthrough for over 50 years before the vaccine was invented.
Why are the poor more at risk from malaria?
They are often living in crudely built dwellings that offer few barriers to the mosquitoes.
How much is lost each year in lost productivity?
US$12 billion a year.
How much are the national health services affected by the endemic malaria?
40% of national health expenditure is spent on malaria, with the disease accounting for 10% of hospital admissions and 12% of health clinic visits.
How have the patterns of malaria in Ethiopia affected the land in the highland areas?
The highland’s meagre farming resources have been overexploited for generations due to the high densities of people living there, resulting in widespread land degradation, contributing to devastating famines in the 1980s, as people are reluctant to use the much richer lowland soils due to the threat of the disease.
How much has Ethiopia received in funding for malaria control?
US$20-43 million a year
What 5 year plan did the Ethiopian government implement in 2011?
A 5 year plan for malaria prevention and control, with both direct and indirect measures, supported by UNICEF, the World Bank, The WHO, NGOs and OCED donor countries.
What direct action is being done to prevent and control malaria?
This mainly involves measures to eradicate mosquitoes, such as:
- Periodic spraying of homes with insecticides
- Destroying breeding sites (e.g. stagnant water) for mosquitoes.
What indirect strategies are being used to prevent and control malaria?
- Publicity campaigns to minimise potential mosquito breeding sites
- Providing early diagnosis and treatment of malaria within 24hrs of the onset of fever.
- Distributing insecticide-treated bed nets (ITNs) to all households in infected areas.
How successful have the direct and indirect strategies been in reducing malaria?
- Death rates have halved from 2000-2010
- The prevalence of malaria in Amhara, one of the worst affected areas, fell from 4.6% of the population in 2006, to just 0.8% in 2011.
- In 2015, the malaria indicator survey showed that 70% of households in malaria endemic areas were protected by ITN or IRS.
What are some issues with the use of certain drugs in preventing malaria?
Some have side effects, such as chloroquine, which can be toxic to humans in excess.
- this resulted in Thailand developing mefloquine, which can have psychological impacts on a significant proportion of those who take it.
