Nov. 27, 2010
Soc 202
Sierra Leone is a country in West Africa that is suffering severely from the deadly mosquito driven disease called malaria. According to health ministry statistics, the average Sierra Leonean suffers three to four bouts with malaria each year. Throughout the continent of Africa people battle with this disease being it is on the equatorial belt where it stays pretty warm year round mosquitoes who carry this disease can survive easily. In Sierra Leone specifically during another study performed by the health ministry and found malaria ranked as the number one cause of outpatient visits to hospitals throughout the country in a 2009 epidemiological report. To combat this terrible issue that has been steadily brewing in this country UNICEF has proposed a plan to place one to three mosquito nets in every home depending on the size of the family. These long-lasting, insecticide treated nets costs some six dollars and lasts up to five years. In total cost to create and distribute these nets cost $20 million funded by the World Bank, the British Department for International Development (DFID), the Federation of the International Red Cross, the United Methodist Church and other health partners. This plan maybe able to cut malaria rates by up to 40 percent in the country of six million people.
I personally think this plan is a very good and sustainable one. When you look at a worldwide spectrum the idea itself isn't super expensive, it has the potential to significantly lower potential rates of malaria throughout the country even if it's just a small amount there will be a change. If it does work and there is a large decrease in malaria case in Sierra Leone other African nations will follow suit and the disease will come to a slow or standstill at least. This is important because the Earth is rapidly heating up and more of the world will reach high, muggy and dry climates and mosquitoes will have new places to migrate and make there habitat which means this problem will move from not just Africa but other continents. If this disease gets worse and rates continue to grow it can spread and harm many others. We need more ideas and strategies like this to at least prevent this problem, until we find a way to truly combat it.
http://www.medindia.net/news/Three-Million-Mosquito-Nets-to-be-Distributed-in-Sierra-Leone-77314-1.htm
2 comments:
I agree with you that this is a good idea to try and combat the mass spread of malaria. My first thought was that with global warming mosquitoes that carry the disease will be able to migrate to more areas and continue to spread malaria. It seems fairly cost effective and hopefully it will help reduce new cases.
I am encouraged that there is a plan being implemented to combat the spread of malaria. I hope that this kind of plan is able to catch on in other countries who are facing the same epidemic.
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