How can your community help fight malaria, a disease that kills 8,000 children in Africa daily?

Question

Even though malaria is a preventable disease, its still deadly in Africa. What can we do to help save lives right now?

Yahoo! Answers staff note: This is the real Isaiah Washington. Look here for more detail:
http://blog.360.yahoo.com/blog-d8pH0dcoRKeB12yOcnUQp.9VCFos?p=6191

Yahoo! Answers Team Update: We've created a group for you to discuss this important issue in more detail. http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/yanswers-washington-malaria/

Answer 1

Our community can help by educating ourselves on current events in Africa,first by knowing where Africa is then learning the different horrendous plights thought this very very sad continent ,with it's many dilemmas...Next we should urge our government officials to send the aid that is needed make it a priority let them know this is so serious that our votes depend on it...We must next be grateful to God we are not going thought this and use our blessings in this country USA to teach our children empathy towards mankind, to realize that all that's glitters is not always gold, That the greatest resource mankind has is his compassion and love for all ,not just whats in our backyard,that humanity stretches throughout this EARTH,not this home,city,state,country,continent,but throughout this world....PEACE AND LOVE TO YOU FOR A QUESTION VERY MUCH NEEDED....

Answer 2

Malaria is a disease with no sense of morality. It cannot be cured by wishes or good intentions, and it cannot be cured with any amount of money. I read the answers here and I see that most of us, though we have good intentions, just do not understand the problem.

There are good medications which treat the disease, but every one of these medications has been misused, and the more they are misused the weaker they become against the organism. Spending money on medications will decrease the numbers of deaths, but not stop the disease. Money spent this way gives us a false sense of success, allowing us to ignore the real problem.

If you wish to cure the problem, this CAN BE DONE. However, the real miracle here would not be one of medical research, we already know how to eliminate the disease; the miracle we need is for the governments of Africa--_ALL_ of the governments of Africa and the contiguous endemic area to get together behind an epidemiological plan.

So the first step would be to develop a realistic time line and plan. This has been done in the past, with small pox, for example. Get the people who understand the disease together with people who understand the politics, the people and the terrain. Develop a plan, and do not be afraid to use pesticides that are powerful enough to completely eliminate the pests. Remember that the goal is to eliminate the disease, and that the environment will be allowed to recover once the threat has been removed.

Part of such a plan would be a goal--something like 0 cases of Malaria recorded for five years--once the goal is achieved, then and only then can the epidemiological hygiene measures be removed.

this is a possible dream, but bake sales and media appeals are not enough.

Answer 3

I have been reading on this subject throughout the day and reading the stats are astounding. In one article I read it said that every 10 seconds a person/child in Africa dies from Malaria.

How do we stop this is the question. The best act seems to be prevention, which would be taking a vacine. However, ironically malaria hits the poorest areas of the world, hence them not having the money or resources to fight it. So then these countries must rely on support from organizations and other countries.

They say that they are seeing a increase in the cases in the past few years. The reasons for that seem to be migration into malaria infested areas and climate changes. We cannot control the climate however we can make sure that people are not moving into communities that already have this as an issue.

The next thing is then to take drugs that fight malaria. However, drugs they onced used are not as affective or work at all anymore. Malaria is unique that it has stages of infection and how it operates in the body, therefore since it does not have a determined path it is hard to daignose the correct drug and amount and if it will even be affective. They are finding that if they use combinations of drugs that it can fight off the disease more and seems to be more affective. However, this does not always work either.

When you read things like this and see that things could be better if these areas had the money like other nations, it is frustrating as an individual that you cannot do more.

The solution that I offer is that there is a global effort, a uniting of nations to give money to these countries that are suffering. Then that doctors and medical teams give of their time and resources to these suffering countries. Then for the drug companies such as Pfizer and Glaxo-Smith Kline to donate the medications. I know that most of this is being done already, but this needs to be done more intensely.

Local communites can have fund drives to raise money for the organizations that already are working on this situation. Also there are several churches that give money and their time overseas, you can support these particular churches to be assured that the funds are used as they are meant to be. People in communities also need to become more aware of things outside of their circles and see beyond. This means getting educated about such issues. The middle class woman should know about Africa as most watch Oprah and she has had several shows on Africa this past season. People need to support politicians that support these causes. Because we suffer as a people when we are not caring for ALL people, everywhere in this world.

I am sure after doing more research into this area that I could come up with more ideas. However during the course of the day this is what I was able to come up with and run with in this now very long answer!!

Answer 4

Well, I feel that it's commendable that anyone wants to actually help anyone anymore - My problem is that to "help" is one thing but for the "help" to actually get to the affected people is another. How exactly can that happen? If there is money raised for "whatever" how is it actually given to the people that actually need it! I have no doubt that malaria is a preventable disease that still kills those children in Africa. And even if every community in the world pooled together and did "whatever" to raise money for "whatever", I would go so far as to bet that so little of "whatever" would get to the affected area and help the affected people that the "help" would be considered negligible! Otherwise, why is it that there is always something that is happening, why is it that there never is an answer to any given charitable issue? How is it that the "problem" isn't ever "fixed"? That is my belief.
Okay, now that I have gotten on my "soap box" and had my say; some of the things that can be done: "fund raisers" (bake-sales, cake-walks, craft-sales, auctions, etc), "ticket" give-aways (someone donates a home-made project, a quilt, an afghan, etc and tickets are sold and a give-away occures, money is collected), a street intersection stop contribution for the purchase of specific items, such as: mosquito netting, cleaning the water source, or Dr.'s visits, etc. Church groups can send missionaries and lastly, community action groups can actually go to the affected area (taking the money/items donated with them) and do cheritable work. However, I suppose that there are many, many restrictions on the last two objectives.

Answer 5

Mobile Doctor units providing education, medicine and insecticide.

Education - Most people in Africa are so used to mosquitos that they may not realize that there are things they can do to make help cut down the mosquito population, for example, they may not make the connection between standing water and an increase in the number of mosquitos.

Medicine - There are "once a week" tablets that people can take to prevent malaria, however, because human beings tend to feel "I can't get sick" and because taking the pills each week becomes very expensive, many people either take the pills sporadically or neglect to take them at all. These once a week pills should be made more available and affordable. Quinine (the best cure for malaria) and all its derivatives should also be made available to those who actually get malaria.

Insecticide - Using insecticide does work. Weighing the pros and cons and considering the toll that malaria is taking on the human population, it is beginning to seem that the benefits of fighting the insect population using DDT far outweigh any attendant health issues for humans.

Having lived in Africa for a long time, I know that mosquito nets are not really a viable option. This is not to say "Don't send nets", because a desperate people will take anything they can get, but the nets will probably not be used for very long for the following reasons -
a) they rip easily, creating holes that let the bugs in (rendering the nets useless),
b) they give a feeling of claustrophobia. In order to give proper protection, the nets need to be tucked in very tightly, making it a hassle to get up in the middle of the night,
c) they are too hot. Even though the nets have holes, the holes are of a necessity very tiny (otherwise the bugs would be able to get through) and so air flow is not very good. The areas where mosquitos thrive are already so humid that any added fabric just makes sleeping extremely uncomfortable.

The education, medicine and insecticide mentioned above should be provided by an organization similar to Doctors without Borders. In other words, an entity that will be able to provide its own personnel, vehicles and supplies. Resources routed through governments will likely not get to the people who need them most.

Answer 6

Malaria doesn't only kill children in Africa. Granted it probably kills more there than anywhere else world. America can and should help but we alone can't be responsible for the worlds ills. This is an international problem and as usual the world does very little. The United Nations doesn't get much help from the rest of world. The major problem is the prices that the pharmaceutical companies charge for the vaccines. Not just malaria but HIV, cholera, hepatitis and numerous other diseases. These are all within reach of stopping. Next time your insurance covers all but $10 or $20 of your prescription ask the pharmacist how much it would cost without insurance and then think about how people in Third World countries could possibly afford that.

Answer 7

As I read some of the other answers, it seems others have some good ideas but motivating someone to help a crusade so many miles away is hard. I recently read an article in Good Housekeeping about this very issue, the article was on a doctor who has devoted the past few years to this very thing. She heads up the malaria branch of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention research stationed in Kenya.

I personally don't know what one would do to get a community to help such a tragic thing from happening. The only thing I could suggest is to try and piggy-back onto programs that are already set up for this thing and individually help out. At the end of the article it talks about a netting that is specially treated with insecticides that are easy to use but are hard to come by in Africa for the poverty stricken. I personally have sent away for four nettings (one for each child I have) as my way of helping.

The cost of that netting is only $10 (less than even a tank of gas) and if a community were to send the money for those - even if it was only say two per block, it would still provide more than what the people of Africa have now. If anyone is a member of a church (or any community organization), try to get their fellow church goers (or say sporting group or even co-workers) to also donate the money for the netting, would get more over there. I feel that since it is harder to get the required medicines over to Africa, these netting's are imperitive because they help prevent malaria - the first step.

Answer 8

There are many things we can do. Investment in infrastructure to secure water sources, waste systems, and weather tight housing would all make dramatic improvements socially, economically, and medically. Unfortunately these items would require the kind of capitol investment that African nations could not support and organizations like the World Bank, World Health Organization, and United Nations have not fully addressed.

Medications may not be financially costly, but their affects long term use health is as costly as the disease itself.

Mesquito nets and topical oils are an option for immediate intervention, but would require great social acceptance and education.

Here's a thought - if the environment supports enough water for mesquitos, it should be able to support corn crops. Get the World Bank to bank roll corn production for an ethanol producing economy. This would boost the economy, give those areas a product that would offset petrolium based fuels, and this would in turn move the social and material structures into a more malaria free life style.

The answer is, there is no easy answer. But there is a larger picture to consider. As the Earth warmers and more Africans immigrat around the world, malaria and other blood borne parasites, bacteria, and viruses will immigrate with them. This is not a local problem. West Nile Virus moved from Africa and across North American in half a decade. With warming temperatures, it is only a matter of time before malaria spreads. While malaria is considered an African disease, it has hearths in North America. 1 in 100,000 Americans is affected by it. Most health professional will not even consider it unless you have an accent and colored skin.

Chemical controls, including medications, have long-term health implications. Prevention costs money and takes education. Keeping the mesquito from biting is the only cheap, immediate answer. A light coating of an oil on the skin, and a head cover is the best option.

Answer 9

Malaira is a disease that's caused by a parasite carried by Mosquitos, specifically the female Anopheles. a person becomes infected after being bitten by an infected mosquito. Since this is a disease that is carried by a vector (the mosquito), eradicate or exclude the vector and you gain control. Ways to accomplish this are fairly simple. Use mosquito netting, screen all doors and windows where practical, eliminate breeding sites (standing water), use insecticides and natural preditors and educate the public on the cause and methods of control. Malaria is a preventable and treatable disease. That being said it is preferable to prevent it. Aside from the aforementioned steps in prevention one can take a prophylactic approach through the use of anti-malaria drugs such as primiquine, chloroquine and a chloroquine/primaquine combination. The malarial parasite (Plasmodium species) requires both a mosquito and a human host to complete it's life cycle. provide a barrier or remove a host from the equation and you stop the disease. Simply said but much more difficult in practice. Though Malaria is a terrible disease there are many other filarial and parasitic diseases that are just as debilitating and deadly for example: Leshmaniasis and Dengue Fever to name a couple. To answer your question... As stated above though education is a key factor. Quite frankly missionaries, military units and other special interest groups are and have been addressing this and many other health issues throughout the globe.To get Americans and the rest of the world involved it has to be presented to the public in a way they understand and that will compell them to act. Let someone experience the excruciating agony of some of these diseases and they'll come around.

Answer 10

Sorry to do this but first I must speak directly to some of the posters here such as dirtyoiler and malfunctiones.

""If the American government had any compassion they could give the vaccine the children needed, but they would Rather spend all kinds of money out to investors who will help them make more things to kill more people with. "

So true...I agree. They've got the power to help, but they don't want to..."

This is what trully rubs my rhubarb. The entire world looks to the US to cure all their ills and yet when the US acts in it's own interests we are the villians.

Perhaps these two posters should learn three critical pieces of information:
First - The US, as expected, blazes the path in the way of monetary donations and other forms of support, generated both via direct government grants and civilian based initiatives. In 2004 alone the amount of monies given by the US government in the manner of foreign aid registered in the billions and possibly into the trillions. The first link in the sources section breaks out the donations. Truly, the amount is staggering.

Second, to simply say that the US government should give it away is tremendously naive. It's not the US government that creates these drugs but privately held companies and this difference is critical. As soon as you advocate that the government should some how compel these companies to make their drugs cheap and free you utterly destroy the Constitution.

Lastly, the cost of researching and developing these drugs is simply astronomical. To simply state that we should just give it away is pure childishness. The truth is that a great many of these medicines are granted at a reduced cost by the companies but the fact remains that they have to be able to at least recoup the losses they took when they stepped up to the plate to conduct the research in the first place.

Now, all that said and done the first thing a person has to do is educate themselves on Malaria and for my money there is no better site the Africa Fighting Malaria. This is the second link found in my sources section.

The second requirement is to remove the World Health Organization (WHO) from any level of control whatsoever. Simply put I have zero faith in WHO and their abilities. They are a far more political organization now than a medical and scientific one.

One interesting method of community help here in the States (or where ever you may hail from) is to hold, as many people here have said, any type of charity drive or fund raiser. Instead of then giving the monies to some faceless charity the community can "adopt" an African town and by the the town the materials they need whether it be netting, medicines or even DDT for spraying.

The great thing about this questions is that there is no "right" answer and we are only limited by our desire to help and our imagination.

Answer 11

It seems that the chemical DDT is extremely effective in eradicating the mosquito population. Mosquitoes spread the disease. DDT, however, is known to not only cause environmental damage, but to be harmful to many other living things, chief among them: humans. Naturally, it would stand to reason that more research should be done to discover or create less harmful, yet equally effective, alternatives.

A second possibility is to create a barrier between the hosts and the infecting agents. Some suggest insecticide-laden mosquito nets. That will certainly aid in protecting people while asleep or in the safety of their own homes, and should certainly not be discounted. However, it is impractical for when people are outside of their homes, and exposed to the elements. Still, thought and monies should be applied to this avenue of protection.

Other studies indicate that more effective, long-lasting vaccines would aid in minimizing the devastation. The problem is that the parasites that are transmitted in the disease are highly adaptive. Therefore, what is effective now, will not be effective in the future.

A new drug called Artemisinin, which is derived from the Chinese herb--the Artemisia plant--shows great promise. Touted as a miracle drug relative to malaria, Artemisinin was actually developed in China during the 1960's, but political differences with the West delayed its emergence onto the Western scientific front. It took until the 1990's to determine how it worked. Armed with that data, the Worl Health Organization approved its efficacy, and began using it in Africa several years ago.

Consequently, it may take one, some, all or none of these concepts or others to annihilate the deadly disease, malaria. The only way to find out is through research, and research requires funding.

That is where my community comes in. I live in Las Vegas, Nevada, where the casino is king. The profit from that industry is absolutely mindboggling. In fact, the individual annual salaries of Las Vegas' highest paid executives would be enough to feed some countries entire populations for a year! In 2005, Harrah's Entertainment's profits were $236.4M, MGM Mirage's were $443.3M, Hilton Hotels' was $460.0M, and the Las Vegas Sands' (parent company of the Venetian) was $283.7M, just for example.

With the exception of the period immediately post-9/11, the profits are there, across the board. If fundraisers could make the appeal irresistible enough (I know--what is more "irresistible" than the prospect of a pandemic? But gaming and hospitality are profit-driven industries.), then the charitable branches of these companies might get involved. Given the facts and the prospect of wiping out a disease that potentially threatens to snuff out an entire generation, how could they refuse?