Sierra Leone , Comende village.
Malaria has followed Amadu Sheriff through all the four years of his life. According to his mother, Amadu,Äôs recent infection is just the latest in a row. To Amadu and other children in Sierra Leone, access to medicine and bed nets are essential to prevent the disease from killing them.
As new diseases cause epidemics and public health emergencies worldwide (swine flu, avian flu, SARS), Africa continues to battle against malaria - one of the world’s oldest maladies. Symptoms of malaria were recorded in ancient Chinese medical writings dated to 2700 BC. While medicines and preventative measures are available, scientists and doctors struggle against the disease’s drug resistance. The mosquito-borne disease claims the life of over one million people worldwide. Most casualties are among young children in Africa.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention commemorated World Malaria Day on April 25th, directly on the heels of the announcement by researchers at the University of Glasgow that an electronic chip could serve as a new weapon in the fight against malaria.
View video on chip, courtesy of the BBC
While the chip is still being discussed as a method for travelers to Africa to remain safe and disease-free, the public health implications for Africans are astounding. New pledges from US President Barack Obama to meet the United Nation’s goal to eradicate malaria by 2015 have encouraged many living in Africa, as well as public health specialists and doctors; technological advances in detection would only help in this fight.
