(highlighting the influence of environment on human health)
Interesting…….I thought the issue of lead poisoning in high income economies of the world is now a thing of the past. I read this morning that due to the presence of lead in aviation fuel, new research has shown that thousands who resides within 1 kilometre of an airport have increase risk of lead poisoning. Does it mean that international policy banning use of lead in fuel (for economic gains) doesn’t cover the aviation industries? Read more here………
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Malaria, a disease transmitted by the female anopheles mosquito, claims almost one million lives every year. It is disheartening to say that despite a century of research and campaigns on getting the best way to curb the menace of malaria across the globe, the sudden resurgence of malaria in some parts of sub-Saharan Africa now raises alarm about the global strategy to get rid of the disease.
Falling immunity among the population which is attributed to a decline in transmission in some parts of the world, there is now growing resistance to insecticides by the transmitting agent (mosquitoes) thus contributing to a rebound in the disease.
In addition to Global Fund for fight against infectious diseases and Roll Back Malaria programme, Bill Gates foundation is at the forefront fighting to bring an end to malaria and malaria related diseases. This resurgence in cases of malaria is now raising doubts about the worldwide strategy, led by Bill Gates, to wipe out the disease. It is on record that the Bill Gates foundation has distributed insecticide-treated bed nets and effective drugs to the 2.5 billion people who live in high-risk areas around the globe.
Following the intervention of Bill Gates foundation, funding for malaria control to date has soared to more than $10 billion (£6.5 billion), a figure that is hundredfold rise in a decade.
It is important to mention that Africa’s leaders in 2000 signed a declaration in Abuja, Nigeria to “halve the malaria mortality for Africa’s people by 2010”. The progress initially progress was slow but in 2007 reasonable progress has been made due to the increase availability of bed nets and artemesinin based drugs.
There is growing concern among experts as to what happens in a situation where malaria is controlled in a community leaving a generation of children grow up with no immunity to the disease and a sudden outbreak sets in. This is a puzzle yet unsolved though some experts are of the opinion that it is good to maintain some low level of immunity to malaria in the population to avoid such from happening. Read more here…………
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Environment and Health 