Making the Magic Bullet

Making the Magic Bullet

Dr. Thomas Churcher, from the Department of Life Sciences at Imperial College, London stated, "Vaccine development has come a long way… However, in the end, it is unlikely that one magic bullet will eradicate malaria, and we should continue to seek and apply combinations of strategies for reducing the burden of this disease” (Xuequan). What is behind this malignant disease? Mosquitoes and the parasites that infect their mouth give a name to the horrible disease called “malaria”. Although widespread in Africa, Chad has spearheaded the funding process since 2000, allowing for there to be more focus on the development of a solution. What causes the spread of this disease, and what steps can be taken as a solution?

The disease, although infective and detrimental to the health of society, only affects Africa as negatively as it does due to the perfect climate and environment for the malarial parasite. The hot weather and lack of finances only fuel the infectivity of the virus, allowing it to decimate the country (Fact). Recently, the Department of Life Sciences at Imperial College in London has discovered that the spread and infectability of malaria is influenced by the number of parasites that exist in a mosquito's mouth. This information, although may seem unimportant, has been hailed as one of the major steps towards finding a potential cure. However, there is another problem. It is often asked why, if it has been around for so long, has a cure not already been found? The answer is clear. Malaria, as a parasite, has to constantly adjust its chemical “shell” in order to adapt to differing hosts. Due to this constant shifting in structure, one single vaccine cannot be developed in order to completely cure the disease (Frequently). Earlier this year, the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine had discovered that the Artemether-lumefantrine drug that they had been given in order to cure patients of malaria had not been working on their patients in England (Hayden).

Over the past few years, Chad has been spearheading the path towards the eradication of malaria (AFRICAN). "Thanks to strong African leadership and innovative new partnerships, we are making unprecedented progress in the fight against malaria. The success of these countries shows the powerful impact that dedication and sufficient funding can have,” said H.E Idriss Déby Itno, President of Chad and African Union Chairperson. It has already been eliminated in many developing countries, however, that elimination must be maintained yearly (Frequently). This can be done through better housing, bed nets, and house spraying (Tusting).  A study led by the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine and the University of Oxford showed that more modern housing dropped the percentage of probability of obtaining malaria by more than 9% (Tusting). Similarly, both international and domestic funding, as attempted to gain by Chad, could allow for a larger number of mosquito nets and sprays, which also reduces the percentage of infectability.

As stated by Churcher, “it is unlikely that one magic bullet will eradicate malaria, and we should continue to seek and apply combinations of strategies”. I believe that all of the solutions presented above, with the aid of both domestic and international funding, could lead Africa down the right path towards the complete eradication of malaria.

Works Cited

"AFRICAN LEADERS HAILED AS COUNTRIES MAKE GAINS AGAINST MALARIA." Malaria No More. N.p., 30 Jan. 2017. Web. 07 Mar. 2017.

"Fact Sheet about Malaria." WHO. World Health Organization, Dec. 2016. Web. 07 Mar. 2017.

"Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)." CDC. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 10 Feb. 2017. Web. 08 Mar. 2017.

Hayden, Sally. "Failure of Malaria Drug 'early Warning' for Africa, Researchers Say." News.trust.org.

"No Magic Bullet to Rid the World of Malaria, Say London Research Team." Xinhua News Agency. Ed. Mu Xuequan. Xinhua, 13 Jan. 2017. Web. 06 Mar. 2017.

Tusting, Lucy S., Christian Bottomley, Harry Gibson, Immo Kleinschimdt, Andrew Tatem, Steve W. Lindsay, and Peter W. Gething. "Modern Housing Associated with Reduced Malaria Risk in Sub-Saharan Africa Children." London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine. N.p., 22 Feb. 2017. Web. 07 Mar. 2017.