Solving Malaria

Malaria is a world health issue that undulates through our newspapers: Sometimes its big news and at other times it doesn't seem to exist. Recently Belinda Stronach and Tony Blair wrote an article in The Globe and Mail... interesting combination, I didn't think they knew each other! The "comments" section of the article tastes rather bitter - people seem to enjoy disliking Belinda. Well, she's probably doing more about the problem than the people who write the bitter comments.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20080924.wcomalaria25/BNStory/Entertainment/

Yes, well, now to do the home work. How to solve a problem like malaria? What is malaria? What causes it? A quick stroll to wikipedia yields,

Malaria is a vector-borne infectious disease caused by protozoan parasites. It is widespread in tropical and subtropical regions, including parts of the Americas, Asia, and Africa. Each year, there are approximately 515 million cases of malaria, killing between one and three million people, the majority of whom are young children in Sub-Saharan Africa.[1] Malaria is commonly associated with poverty, but is also a cause of poverty and a major hindrance to economic development.

Reference information for later:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malaria
http://www.unicef.org/health/index_malaria.html


Some themes that come to mind:
- the female mosquito is the dominant infection vehicle
- high probability of occurring in areas of poverty
- in areas with weak social infrastructure, it can cause poverty
- occurs in areas with weak social infrastructure
- occurs in areas with weak health services
- occurs in tropical/hot regions of the Earth
- anti-malarial drugs are too expensive for the people who need it
- mosquito nets are too expensive for the people who need it
- general impression from many 1st world citizens is that malaria can be eradicated if we throw money at the problem to buy nets and medicine

Braindump of possible solutions:
- bed nets (as mentioned in the article)
- mosquito control
- increased financial aid
- genetically modified mosquitoes
- anti-malarial drugs
- increase foreign aid (WHO, UN, poignant commercials, survivor talks, celebrity driven initiatives ... etc.)
- increased scientific research into drug therapy, vaccines, delivery, reduced cost... etc.
- media initiatives such as the Stephen Lewis Foundation commercial (HIV/AIDS)
listed under /archives/stephenlewisfoundation. Just replace "husband" with mosquito and "HIV AIDS" with malaria. Same message. http://rethinkcommunications.com/

Some alternative solutions:

• work to fix the poverty issue while addressing malaria (ie. teach someone how to fish instead of just giving them fish). build communities as you address the health issue. Perhaps some small business associated with local net building can start with the help of organizations such as Kiva. Have to get the ball rolling somewhere and it might as well be relevant.

• team up with programs like the One-Laptop per child, and possibly partner them with groups like Innocentive. Some surprising solutions could come for those who need the help the most. We can teach and help each other.
  

• encourage 1st world people to give up newspaper subscriptions. for the same cost, one can pay for anti-malarial treatment (approx. 1US dollar for the drug, delivery, and administration costs). Trees also like this idea.
  

• have an Olympic style "Countdown" clock for common World goals (eradicating Malaria for example). this can provide a mental goal for large communities.

• improve the status of women in problem countries. If a mother is in good health and in good status, the family is in a much better position. if a mother is infected with malaria during birth, everyone is at risk.

• build a health care system using local people. educate well so that they can replicate their educations to others. Use technology to speed up the rate and quality of education. Technology such as cell phones can also be used to transcend large distances, allowing people to be more productive with their time.

• modify the female mosquito so that it can become a health agent instead of a parasite (ie. drug delivery or nutrition delivery)... some fancy technology needed to do this.

• create a device that emits a high frequency sound or energy that mosquitoes dislike (but not noticeable to humans, and safe).

• create a device that emits a high frequency sound/energy/scent that mosquitoes LIKE. Setup a booby trap.

• promote the spread of natural mosquito predators

Some random mind wandering...

The more I think about it, malaria is disease that occurs when there are deep breakdowns in a society: politically, environmentally, socially, and economically. If each of these pillars stood up, malaria infection rates would probably dramatically decrease and eventually disappear (as it has done in 1st world nations). The problem with malaria, is that it can keep these pillars from rising again, keeping the society in a terrible cycle. Infrastructure is key. A concerted effort from the government is key. Even if the rest of the world provided enough nets, the problem would still exist in a fundamental form.

I found a book, "The Conquest of Malaria"... will have to give it a quick skim.

NOTES TO SELF: The US is willing to finance a $700 billion dollar bailout of its failing financial system. Iraq war costs ~$200 million a day. How much is needed to finance the recoveries of less developed nations? Can we build world security by strengthening nations instead of invading them? Shift from me to we on a global scale. What if we created a group, mirroring a military model, for economic and social battles, an army of specialists that can work with nations to give them frameworks to build the important pillars of society. Nation "tutoring" without the military implications.