Malaria

Subject – Science and Tech

Context – Genetically changed mosquitoes could transform Africa’s long fight against malaria.

Concept –

Malaria is a life threatening mosquito borne blood disease caused by plasmodium parasites.
It is predominantly found in the tropical and subtropical areas of Africa, South America as well as Asia.
The parasites spread through the bites of infected female Anopheles mosquitoes.
After entering the human body, parasites initially multiply within the liver cells and then attack the Red Blood Cells (RBCs) resulting in their rupture.
There are5 parasite species that cause malaria in humans, and 2 of these species – Plasmodium falciparum and Plasmodium vivax – pose the greatest threat.
Symptoms of malaria include fever and flu-like illness, including shaking chills, headache, muscle aches, and tiredness.
It is preventable as well as curable.

Efforts by India –

At the East Asia Summit in 2015,India pledged to eliminate the disease by 2030. Following this public declaration, India launched the five-year National Strategic Plan for Malaria Elimination.
This marked a shift in focus from malaria “control” to “elimination”. The plan provides a roadmap to achieve the target of ending malaria in 571 districts out of India’s 678 districts by 2022.