KAMPALA, Uganda, August 23, 2024 /African Media Agency (AMA)/- World Mosquito Day is commemorated annually on August 20 and marks an opportunity to raise awareness about the dangers posed by mosquito-borne diseases and ongoing efforts to combat the world’s deadliest creature.
Both malaria and dengue are transmitted by female mosquitoes and cause serious illness in humans. Due to some similarities, patients and medical personnel often confuse the two diseases and mosquito species.
“Dengue and malaria are two very different diseases caused by different pathogens and different mosquito species,” says Dr. Charles Guissou, co-principal investigator of Target Malaria Burkina Faso at the Institute for Research in Health Sciences (IRSS). “Misdiagnosis between malaria and dengue is common and can then contribute to inappropriate medical care.”
Malaria causes 200 million cases of infection worldwide each year, resulting in 600,000 deaths. Most of these deaths occur in Africa, where children and pregnant women are most affected. The World Health Organization (WHO) reported that in 2022, Africa accounted for 94% of malaria cases (233 million) and 95% (580,000) of malaria deaths. Children under five years of age accounted for approximately 78% of all malaria deaths.
The cases of dengue worldwide have increased significantly in recent decades. Infections reported to WHO have increased from 505,430 in 2000 to 6.5 million in 2023.
“At Target Malaria, we are committed to contributing to a malaria-free Africa. We also want to be able to educate as many people as possible about the differences between the Anopheles mosquito, which transmits malaria, and the Aedes mosquito, which transmits the dengue virus. Malaria and dengue need to be clearly differentiated so that adequate prevention and treatment measures can be put in place,” says Krystal Birungi, Field Entomology Coordinator for Target Malaria Uganda at the Uganda Virus Research Institute (UVRI).
Some of the notable differences between dengue and malaria are:
“The risk of potential infections is considerable: approximately 3.9 billion people are at risk of dengue fever and 3.3 billion people are at risk of malaria infection. Innovative and sustainable solutions are needed in the fight against these diseases, particularly in Africa. This is why African voices and expertise play a central role in the development and evaluation of these technologies,” adds Ms. Birungi.
Target Malaria is a pioneering project in the use of gene drive, a natural genetic mechanism, to propagate a genetic modification in malaria mosquitoes that impacts the rate of transmission and affects their ability to reproduce. This innovative approach promises to be a sustainable and cost-effective method to reduce the population of malaria-carrying mosquitoes and ultimately stop malaria transmission.
For more information on the differences between dengue fever and malaria, click here.
Distributed tor African Media Agency pour Target Malaria.
About Target Malaria:
Target Malaria is a non-profit research consortium that aims to develop and share new, cost-effective and sustainable genetic technologies to modify mosquitoes and reduce malaria transmission. Our vision is to contribute to a world without malaria. We strive for excellence in all areas of our work, creating a pathway for responsible research and development of genetic technologies, such as gene drive. www.targetmalaria.org
Target Malaria receives core funding from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and Open Philanthropy. The lead grantee is Imperial College London with partners in Africa, Europe and North America.
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Source : African Media Agency (AMA)
2024-08-23 09:51:56
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