Final paper

5

Project Preparation: Specific Health Challenge

Deanna Buchanan

SNHU

Project Preparation: Specific Health Challenge

Malaria is a serious disease that is prevalent in tropical countries. Even though it is curable and preventable, the failure to promptly diagnose and effectively treat malaria may result in severe consequences or even death. In Zambia, this disease adversely affects millions of the population translating to poor health outcomes and overall productivity. As part of the preparation for the humanitarian aid trip to Zambia, this paper gives a concise analysis of this health challenge.

Health Challenge Analysis

Clinical Presentation

Regarding the etiology of the disease, malaria is caused by a plasmodium parasite, which is transmitted to an individual when he/she is bitten by an infected mosquito. Specifically, the female anopheles mosquito is responsible for biting and transmitting the parasite to humans. Although there are five species of parasites, which can cause malaria, only two of them pose the greatest threat to humans: plasmodium vivax and plasmodium falciparum (Zambare, 2019). Regarding the symptomology of malaria, common symptoms of the disease include fatigue, chills, sweating, fever, breathing problems, chest pain, muscle aches, headaches, vomiting, nausea, diarrhea, and coughs (Zambare, 2019). If the disease goes undiagnosed and untreated, it may worsen leading to jaundice and anemia. In extreme cases, the disease may progress into cerebral malaria leading to a coma and eventual death of the victim.

Prevalence

There are certain populations in Zambia that are most at risk for contracting malaria. They include pregnant women, children under five years, infants, and people with low immunity such as the ones with HIV/AIDS (Zambare, 2019). Also, people from low socioeconomic backgrounds and rural areas are at a high risk of getting the disease and going untreated. This is because such individuals have limited access to healthcare and relevant resources needed to fight the disease. The morbidity and mortality of malaria in Zambia is quite high. According to Chipoya and Shimaponda-Mataa (2020), “malaria is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality in Zambia especially in the highly endemic areas; by 2018, there were approximately 5,193,723 reported cases of malaria with up to 1209 deaths.” Regarding the prevalent trends related to malaria in Zambia, Nawa, Halwindi, and Hangoma (2020) note that the considerable prevention and eradication strategies have resulted in the prevalence reduction of the disease to 19.4 percent in 2015 from 33 percent in 2006.

Inequities

i. Socioeconomic Groups: The extent to which different socioeconomic levels in Zambia are unequally affected by malaria is high. In Zambia, two-thirds of the population earns less than the daily $2.15 global poverty line (Mphuka, Kaonga, & Tembo, 2022). Poverty prevents many people from accessing the relevant healthcare services needed to fight malaria.

ii. Race/Ethnicity: The extent to which different races/ethnicities in Zambia are unequally affected by malaria is negligible. The disease appears to affect people by geographic location and socioeconomic status more than ethnicity.

iii. Gender: The extent to which different genders in Zambia are unequally affected by malaria is high. Even though both genders are at the same risk of contracting malaria, it is women who are the primary caregivers for the sick (Willis & Hamon, 2020). Therefore, their productivity is negatively affected when they have to care for the sick.

iv. Other: The extent to which other population groups in Zambia are unequally affected by malaria is high. For example, people who regularly engage in cross-border activities are at a high risk of getting imported malaria (Chipoya & Shimaponda-Mataa, 2020).

Other Determinants of Health

Environmental

The environmental determinants of health for the malaria challenge in Zambia are generally seen via climatic factors such as temperature and rainfall. High temperatures and rainfall that characterize the tropical country provide optimum breeding habitats for mosquitos. Thus, rainy seasons are likely to coincide with increased cases of malaria.

Biological

The biological determinants of health for the malaria challenge impact certain populations and increase their risk of contracting the disease. For example, pregnant women, children under five years, infants, and people with low immunity such as the ones with HIV/AIDS are at a high risk of getting malaria.

Policy Evaluation

There is one notable policy related to the malaria challenge that currently exists in Zambia. It is referred to as the National Malaria Control Program (Jones et al., 2020). This national strategy focuses on four major interventions to counter the malaria problem: combination therapy drugs, indoor residual spraying, insecticide-treated nets, and rapid diagnostic tests. The policy also provides a framework for the government to coordinate its efforts with NGOs, private companies, mission hospitals, and churches.

References

Chipoya, M. N., & Shimaponda-Mataa, N. M. (2020). Prevalence, characteristics and risk factors of imported and local malaria cases in North-Western Province, Zambia: A cross-sectional study.  Malaria Journal,  19(1), 1-12.

Jones, R. T., Tusting, L. S., Smith, H. M., Segbaya, S., Macdonald, M. B., Bangs, M. J., & Logan, J. G. (2020). The role of the private sector in supporting malaria control in resource development settings.  The Journal of Infectious Diseases,  222(Supplement_8), S701-S708.

Mphuka, C., Kaonga, O., & Tembo, M. A. (2022). Economic growth, inequality, and poverty: Estimating the growth elasticity of poverty in Zambia, 2006–2015. In  Inequality in Zambia (pp. 83-119). Routledge.

Nawa, M., Halwindi, H., & Hangoma, P. (2020). Modeling malaria reduction in a highly endemic country: Evidence from household survey, climate, and program data in Zambia. Journal of Public Health in Africa,  11(1), 22–28.

Willis, D. W., & Hamon, N. (2020). Potential impact of eradicating malaria on gender inequality within agricultural households in sub-Saharan Africa.  Gates Open Research,  4(114), 114.

Zambare, K. K. (2019). A review on pathophysiology of malaria: A overview of etiology, life cycle of malarial parasite, clinical signs, diagnosis and complications.  Asian Journal of Research in Pharmaceutical Science,  9(3), 226-230.