Disease in Eastern Africa

Reminder of Area of Interest…

Kenya

Uganda

Tanzania

A Recap of the Climate…

• Eastern Africa has an arid and warm climate

• Rift Valleys• The Seasons 1 Dry 2 Wet Seasons• Winds are brought

off Indian Ocean

Recent Climate Change

• Africa has warmed roughly .7 degs C in 20th century Roughly .05 deg C per decade

• Precipitation in the area has increased in Eastern Africa

Impacts of Current Changes

• Warmer sea surface temperatures

• Longer dry seasons • Sea Levels have

rose to a higher level

• More rain during wet seasons

Future Outlook on the Climate• Future climate changes are predicted to have

approx .2 to roughly .5 degree change per –decade

• The wet season’s precipitation will increase• The dry season’s

precipitation will decrease

Impacts That May Occur…

• Stronger flooding, desertification, droughts, and severe weather

• Temperature will rise even more• Sea Levels will rise even higher• The dry and wet seasons will become one and

one• Water will be hard to come by• Insect populations will continue to increase…

spreading two primary diseases; malaria and cholera

Malaria

• What is Malaria?

• How does Malaria kill? digests the red blood cell's hemoglobin

alters the adhesive properties of the cell

• Symptoms of Malaria fever, chills, flu-like illness, tiredness, and diarrhea

• Who does Malaria affect? Anyone who has the malaria parasites in their blood

Bitten victims of the mosquito

Life Cycle and FactsFacts about Malaria• The Parasites can live in a

Man’s liver for up to 30 years.

• An estimated 700,000-2.7 million people die of malaria each year, 75% of them are African children.

• In 2002, malaria was the fourth leading cause of death in children in developing countries

Cholera• What is Cholera? bacteria transferred via water and food

• How does Cholera Kill?violent diarrhea that causes massive losses of fluid

• Symptoms of Cholera stomach pains, diarrhea, dehydration,

vomiting, and cramping

• Who does Cholera affect? Anyone who drinks contaminated

items

Facts

Facts about cholera

The cholera epidemic in Africa has lasted more than 20 years.

Cholera is mainly a concern in sub-Saharan Africa and South America.

To totally get rid of Cholera improvements on sewage and wells are crucial.

Treatment for Malaria and Cholera

Malaria:Treatment for malaria depends on where the infection is and the climate of misquotes because some variations of the disease are immune to different medications.

Cholera: treatment for dehydration which must be

treated urgently. Severe dehydration requires the replacement of fluid intravenously and antibiotic therapy.

• Amounts of fall havedecreased over timeduring the dry season

Deaths Due to Malaria

• Significantly higher amounts of deaths during the rainy seasons

• A secondary spike of deaths is seen during the “short rains” Deaths of Patients at Ndolage Hospital, 2001

Deaths of Patients at Rubya Hospital, 2001

Average Rainfall In East Africa Per Year

Malaria

Preventing MalariaCommon ways villagers prevent getting malaria:

•Make fires and sleep by them

•Mosquito coils placed under or next to beds

•Clear bushes to destroy potential mosquito breeding grounds

•Placing screens in windows and other places around the house

•Draining of stagnant waters

•Bed nets with or without pesticides

•Pesticides alone

Bed Netting

• People are protected from mosquitoes while sleeping.

• Sometimes people place pesticides on them to enhance the protection and kill mosquitoes.

• Cost about $5-$10 a piece

• The number of cases of malaria is cut in half when bed nets with insecticides are used

Problems with Bed Netting• Very expensive for families to buy some for everyone

• Tanzania: Average household size is 6-7 people.

• Average of 1.5 nets per household; 4 people are without nets

• Kenya: Average household size 8-9 and some with 16

• Average of about 2-4 nets in a house hold; 5+ are without nets

• Only 25% use pesticides on them.

Best Ways to Treat MalariaVillagers said these were the best ways to treat malaria:

• 78% said modern medicine

• 15.6% said a combination of modern and herbal medicines

• 3.3% said just herbal medicine

• 2.1% said modern medicine and prayer

• 1% said modern medicine and tepid sponging

Natural CuresMost popular way to treat malaria.

1) Quite common, well known, and very familiar

2) Easily available, less expensive, and an effective aid before going to a medical center (if necessary)

3) Used by pregnant women with malaria because it is known to not cause complications during pregnancy

Plants like the Kajule, Nkaka, and the Mwarobaini are some used

Treatment Facilities• Every household contributes money each year to the facility

• Guaranteed medical coverage and medicine for whatever they need• In cases of emergency, those who don’t pay still receive treatment, but must pay their contribution when they are better

• Extremely poor people don’t need to pay anything and receive free medicine and treatment

Problems• Lack of money in governments causes many

• No early warning mechanisms to respond to climate disasters and disease outbreaks

• Cannot help pay for bed nets, vaccines etc. to help treat or prevent the disease

• Late diagnosis of malaria in children

• The number of mosquitoes is at its highest during the rainy season

• Mosquitoes are becoming immune to medicines used to prevent malaria

Programs and Organizations

• Spread the Net

• Collects money and for every $10 donates a bed net to UNICEF that is then sent to Africa.

• Roll Back Malaria

A UN backed program that gives bed nets to the areas

• World Health Organization

• Helps to determine what needs to be done in the regions and how to help

Programs Cont.

• Donated 109 million bed nets

• Delivered 264 million drug treatments for resistant malaria

• Donated $200 million dollars to the regions for other treatments

• Most money comes from the UN

• Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria

• Collects money and distributes around the world to fight these diseases

What Needs to be Done?

• Nations and organizations need to give money to help give relief to the regions

• The poverty is what needs to be alleviated

• Better medicines must be developed

• A vaccine is being produced but is not yet as far as they want it

• More awareness for the people

• Need to know the best way to treat malaria and how to prevent it

What Villagers Know About Cholera

• Villagers know a lot about cholera

• They know what it exactly it is, where it comes from, and its side effects

• If sick, they go to a treatment center

• Few said they would try and treat it at home

• Don’t know the best ways to keep from getting the disease

Cholera Prevention• Make sure water is purified

• Be clean and wash hands before eating or after visiting toilets

• Proper disposal of waste and garbage

• Protection and proper management of water sources

• Report any type of outbreak

• If sick go to the hospital promptly

• More improved toilets

Why no Water Treatment?

• 1.5% say they fear losing the taste of water

• 63.8% say that think the water is safe

• 15.9% say that they aren’t used to boiling the drinking water

• 10.1% say they can’t afford to boil the water

• 5.8% say they don’t have the utensils to boil it

• 2.9% say boiling the water is tiresome

Example of a Program

• Malaria Outbreak in November of 2005

• From November 30, 2005 to January 31, 2006

• Thousands became sick within days

• Ghana Red Cross and Red Crescent teamed with Ghana’s government

• Train 250 people to educate the population about malaria and prevention

Results…• Split into different regions and told to visit at least 25 households over a 3 day period

• Over 15,000 leaflets were given to citizens

• Radio stations broadcasted information to people

• Homes, public toilets, and drainage systems were all disinfected

• 343,442 people reached during this people