NIGHT OF A THOUSAND APPLAUSE
Have you ever had that feeling? The sour eyes and bitter saliva--that makes you remember the vinegar Jesus drank on the cross--Or maybe you've had the boiling skin; the fever that turns your body into a human electric iron. If you live in tropical Africa and south-east Asia, there is a 99.99% chance that you have experienced the above mentioned sypmtoms at one time or the other.
Have you ever had that feeling? The sour eyes and bitter saliva--that makes you remember the vinegar Jesus drank on the cross--Or maybe you've had the boiling skin; the fever that turns your body into a human electric iron. If you live in tropical Africa and south-east Asia, there is a 99.99% chance that you have experienced the above mentioned sypmtoms at one time or the other.
But when I say 'malaria' what comes to your mind? Mosquitoes right? Those buzzing vampires that try to extract the few pints of blood you've amassed, and keep you clapping and slapping yourself all night long. Well, let me give you a little malaria education
Malaria is caused by a certain species of Plasmodium(plasmodium malariae, and plasmodium falciparum) and the parasites are transmitted to humans by the bites of infected female Anopheles mosquitoes.
The way I see it, the Mosquito is just an innocent--though disturbing--insect that needs to feed, the same need you have, that makes you grab a snack from the refrigerator when your belly rumbles. The only thing is when it feeds on an infected person's blood, it ingests the parasite alongside the blood meal. And passes on that parasite to a person that is not infected, when they feed from that person. I'm not trying to be a Mosquito rights activist, but i really feel the main culprit we should fight in this malaria war is the Parasite--Plasmodium.
One of the themes for marking world malaria day this year is; ''Invest in the Future, Defeat Malaria.'' And We've really invested in Malaria--billions and billions of dollars--The Bill and Melinda Gates foundation, Dangote, the United Nations, and a lot of NGOs have done and are still doing a lot; Sharing nets, educating people on how to handle malaria cases, etc.
The good news is we've made some progress. But I feel it is about time we tackle this menace from its roots. Its funny that nobody had come up with a vaccine for Malaria, for all these years. Where are the micro biologists and virologists that graduate every year? Huh? Even the ones that suffer it here in Africa can't do something? If Jonas Salk did not go through the stress and risk of finding a vaccine for Polio, don't you think most of the world would have been lame today?. . . I pray one of them reads this and gets inspired. Meanwhile as we wait for the vaccine, dont forget to spray your room this evening with some good insectiscide (not the harmful raw chemicals most people hawk in the markets), sleep in your Mosquito net, and when you get symptoms of malaria don't stay at home and self medicate yourself. Visit a specialist and also visit www.worldmalariaday.org or www.rollbackmalaria.org for more about malaria and today.
Ebenezar Wikina
logo credit> Worldmalariaday.org
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