For
centuries, malaria has outranked warfare as a source of human suffering. It affects
more than 489 million people worldwide every year and more than 1 million people
die of malaria annually, thus making it a threat to human life.Africa is the
most affected continent with more than 90% of all malaria cases worldwide
because of the combination of factors such as climate, mosquito vector, malaria
parasite and poverty which combine to bear a negative impact on human health
and retards development. Malaria disease slows economic growth by 1.3% per year
translating into US $ 12 billion annual GDP loss across sub-Saharan Africa.
In
Zambia, malaria is endemic with seasonal and geographical variations. It has
for a long time remained the leading cause of morbidity and mortality in both
the children and adults. Although malaria affects the whole population, the
most vulnerable are children under the age of 5 years and pregnant women.
Malaria accounts for up to 50% of all infant mortality and 20% of all maternal
mortality in Zambia and presents severe social and economic burdens on
communities living in endemic areas Epidemiologically, Zambia is categorized
into three malaria zones namely, a low-transmission zone with parasite
prevalence <1% located in south-eastern Zambia; a low stable-transmissionregion with a parasite prevalence of 10% located in north-western/south-centralZambia; and a high-transmission zone with a parasite prevalence of >20%
located in northern and eastern Zambia .
The country has three distinct seasons;
a rainy season which starts from November and ending in May during which
malaria transmission is highest, a cool dry season from late May to August, and
a hot dry season from September to November. Malaria transmission is
experienced in focal locations across the country throughout the year.Plasmodium
falciparum causes approximately 98% of malaria infection in Zambia while low
frequency infections due to Plasmodium malariae and Plasmodium ovale also
occur, and little or no transmission of Plasmodium vivax . The main malaria
vectors in Zambia are Anopheles arabiensis, Anopheles gambiae s.s. and
Anopheles funestus s.s . Read more...........
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