Greater resources and stronger political commitment critical in tackling Malaria: WHO
Malaria, a disease without borders, is preventable and treatable however it needs a bolder commitment from donors and member states if it is to be brought under control.
Malaria remains a major health problem in the South-East Asia region with 83% of its population at risks. There are an estimated 20 million cases and 100,000 deaths each year from malaria in the region.
"Today we have powerful new tools and effective models of control, which is critical in our approach in tackling this disease. But financial resources need to be mobilised and political commitment to addressing this disease needs to be solidified. A lackadaisical attitude to this health issue will not lessen the current disease burden," said Dr Samlee Plianbangchang, WHO Regional Director for South East Asia marking the first World Malaria Day.
Populations particularly susceptible to malaria include those who live in urban slums, the poor, ethnic groups, mobile populations, young adults and border communities. In South-East Asia, where some of the most devastating resurgences of malaria have occurred, the disease continues to pose a serious threat to public health. Much of the malaria in this Region is transmitted by forest-dwelling vectors, making vector control extremely difficult and also leaving large infected populations beyond the reach of basic health infrastructure.
Malaria is endemic in all the countries in the South-East Asia Region except the Maldives, and the situation is becoming increasingly difficult to control. This region also harbours two main malaria parasites, the deadly Plasmodium falciparum and Plasmodium vivax, which is notorious for causing relapsing episodes. In addition to damage to health and well being, malaria adversely affects economic development particularly the livelihood of the poor. "A community with malaria is an impoverished community," stressed Dr Plianbangchang.
Parasite strains resistant to chloroquine, (cheapest and most common anti-malaria drug), have spread throughout this region. Multidrug-resistant strains are present in several countries and the resistance level is growing, posing a threat to all means of effective case management. Intensified efforts by Member countries, international agencies, partners and donor agencies are urgently required.
Random Stories
2 Jul 2013 - 9:29am |
AT News
The overall flood situation worsened with more and more villages getting submerged. Floodwaters entered the Kaziranga National Park where an antelope was killed.Over 65,000 people of 170 villages in...
17 Jan 2014 - 9:01pm |
AT News
Senior IPS officer Khagen Sarma on Friday took over as new director general of police replacing JN Chaudhury who is set to join as NSG director on Saturday.Chaudhury, the former IB additional IB...
16 May 2010 - 11:12pm |
swapan
National Democratic Front of Bodoland (NDFB) Chief Ranjan Daimary alias D R Nabla has been produced before the court of chief judicial magistrate (CJM), Kamrup, Robin Phukan in CJM Court, Kamrup...
10 Oct 2015 - 6:30pm |
Hantigiri Narzary
BPF supremo Hagrama Mohilary on Saturday openly and closely talked to the partymen at the grassroot level in two places in BTAD areas and asked them to strengthen the party ahead of the Assam...
Other Contents by Author
More than 300 million people around the world have asthma, and the disease imposes a heavy burden on individuals, families, and societies.The Global Burden of Asthma Report, indicates that asthma control often falls short and there are many barriers to asthma control around the world. Proper long-term management of asthma will permit most patients to achieve good control of their disease. Yet in many regions around the world, this goal is often not met.Poor asthma control is also seen in the lifestyle limitations experienced by some people with asthma. For example, in some regions, up to one in four children with asthma is unable to attend school regularly because of poor asthma control....
After ten hearings at the Uttar Pradesh (UP) State Information Commission and 1.5 years from first filing the Right to Information (RTI) application to seek documents related to National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (NREGS) in Miyaganj block of Unnao district in UP, the people of Miyaganj are finally relieved to get those documents pertinent to the NREGS work done in their block. The RTI application asking for information (like muster rolls and measurement books) under the RTI Act, 2005, was filed on 4 December 2006 by Miyaganj block resident Yeshwant Rao at the local Block office. He received a reply after more than six months (June 2007) asking him to submit Rs. 1,58,400 (at...
"The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) must take immediate cognizance of the violations in Nandigram and recommend stringent penal action against all those involved, including instituting an inquiry into the involvement of the CPI (M) leadership and cadres in the planning/abetment/execution of the crimes committed" demanded firebrand activist and leader of National Alliance of People's Movements (NAPM) Medha Patkar. "The National Commission for Women must immediately constitute a fact-finding delegation that must visit Nandigram and submit its Report to the NHRC and also direct immediate payment of compensation to all the women raped and all others injured" further...
"We will seek justice in the honourable High Court of Bombay" said Dr Shekhar Salkar, General Secretary of National Organization for Tobacco Eradication (NOTE). "Mr.Amitabh Bachchan was clearly shown smoking a cigar [in 'Family' film] in all the display-hoardings prominently. This amounts to clear and unambiguous breach of the law prevalent within the state and the country. However the session court did not appreciate the view of NOTE India, thereby absolving the respondents of the charges" added Dr Salkar. In March 2008, the Sessions Judge, North Goa, Mr U V Bakre had quashed the legal proceeding against Amitabh Bachchan, chairman of Amitabh Bachchan Corporation Limited (...
"One of the biggest dilemmas the prison administration is facing today is whether to ban the use of tobacco in all forms in the prison or not" according to ST Ramesh, Additional Director General of Police in Karnataka who is also the Inspector General (Prisons)."In any case, the enforcement of tobacco ban in prisons is going to be an uphill task!" he further adds.Tobacco use inside jail in India and other countries has been alarming. Many jails have even reported use of injecting-drug-use among their inmates. It raises serious concerns on the extent to which such living conditions which make these jails a 'correction facility' for its inmates.Recently earlier in April 2008...
The World Health Day this year (7 April 2008) focuses on the need to protect health from the adverse effects of climate change. The theme "protecting health from climate change" puts health at the centre of the global dialogue about climate change. The World Health Organization (WHO) selected this theme for the World Health Day in recognition that climate change is posing ever growing threats to global public health security. The appalling conditions of health responses during civil unrest, violence and natural calamities like floods in India are well-documented. Also the disease outbreaks, especially water-borne diseases, have been posing an enormous challenge in such situations...
This World Tuberculosis (TB) Day (24 March) is another opportunity for people of India to review their TB responses. Drug susceptible TB is treatable, curable and with proper programme interventions, it is possible to believe in the theme of World TB Day: 'I can stop TB'. Can we say the same for drug-resistant TB? Drug-resistant TB has been recorded in the world at the highest levels ever according to the World Health Organization (WHO) report (Anti-Tuberculosis Drug Resistance in the World, February 2008). DOTS (directly-observed treatment short-course), is the internationally recommended TB control strategy that includes standardized case detection, treatment and patient support. It...
How will India and other countries in the world achieve the millennium development goal (MDG) target to reduce by half the proportion of 2.6 billion people who have no access to basic sanitation by 2015? On this year's World Water Day (22 March 2008), to put the spotlight on sanitation the United Nations General Assembly declared the year 2008 as the International Year of Sanitation. The goal is to raise awareness and to accelerate progress towards the MDG targets to halve the number of people without access to basic sanitation by 2015. Where is the estimated US$ 10 billion annual cost to achieve this MDG target by 2015 going to come from? From 2008-2015, we will need US$ 80...
Negotiations toward a protocol on illicit tobacco trade to the global tobacco treaty, formally known as the World Health Organization Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO FCTC), were held earlier this month. The illicit tobacco trade makes up approximately 10 percent of global tobacco sales and costs governments between 40-50 billion dollars (27-34 billion euros) every year. "Transnational companies benefit in a number of ways from the illicit trade in tobacco," said Kathyrn Mulvey, Director of International Policy, Corporate Accountability International (CAI). While many countries voiced their commitment to a protocol that will require tobacco corporations to assume...
Indian film-star Shahrukh Khan's explanation of his right to 'creative liberties' to justify portrayal of tobacco use in Indian cinema has sparked a huge row with India's health minister Dr Anbumani Ramadoss' appeal to film-stars to refrain from using tobacco on-screen and also in public places. Tobacco is reported to kill more than a million people in India alone every year. It is a well-known cause of life-threatening ailments. It has also been proven in many studies that most of the tobacco use begins before the age of 18. It is indeed a moral imperative on the Government of India to protect the right to life and good health of its young citizens, especially from public health and...
Add new comment