What is malaria and what are its symptoms?  

Malaria is an infectious disease. It’s caused by a parasite called Plasmodium. This parasite infects the red cells of the blood. Malaria is transmitted through the bite of a particular kind of mosquito called Anopheles. This is found mainly in tropical and sub-tropical areas. Travelling in the areas where this mosquito lives increases the risk of catching the disease.

• Malaria occurs in attacks which last from 4 to 6 hours;

• The symptoms are: shaking chills, high fever and sweating as well as fatigue, headache, nausea, dizziness, vomiting, abdominal cramps, dry cough, muscle or joint pain, back ache;
• The attacks appear every other day or every third day;
• Some people may also experience: vomiting, diarrhea, coughing and yellowing (jaundice) of the skin and whites of the eyes.

   

  For further information you can check the following web sites:

 http://www.who.int/topics/malaria/en/

 http://www.medicinenet.com/malaria/article.htm

 http://www.healthscout.com/ency/68/347/main.html

 http://www.patienthealthinternational.com/article/501638.aspxhttp://www.patienthealthinternational.com/article/501638.aspx

What can be done to prevent HIV/AIDS and to keep it from spreading?

HIV – the human immunodeficiency virus – is a retrovirus which infects the cells of the human immune system. This means that as the disease progresses the immune system is affected and is no longer able to function properly. As a result it leaves the person susceptible to opportunistic infections and tumors.

The HIV – virus – is transmitted through the direct contact with the bodily fluid of a person already infected with it, meaning blood, semen, vaginal fluid, preseminal fluid and breast milk.  The ways in which one can get the disease include anal, vaginal or oral sex, blood transfusion, contaminated hypodermic needles, exchanges between mother and baby during pregnancy, childbirth or breastfeeding.

General preventive methods:

1. Protection during sexual intercourse either by using male or by using female condoms;
2. Reducing the risk of exposure to contaminated blood by wearing gloves (made of latex), masks, protective eyeware or shields, and gowns or aprons;  
3. Thoroughly washing your skin immediately after entering in contact with infected blood or other bodily fluids can reduce the risk of infection;
4. Care must be applied when using or handling sharp objects such as needles, scalpels or glass which are contaminated in order not to enjure ourselves;  
5. HIV infected mothers should avoid breastfeeding;  
6. Attention should be paid to the use of needles in medical facilities as well as between people. These should always be sealed and used only once!

     

    

For further information you can check the following web sites: 

http://www.who.int/topics/hiv_aids/en/ 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AIDS#Prevention  

http://www.unaids.org/en/

INFORMATION FROM JUDY:

Questions and Answers (Current Trends)

Q. What will happen in Africa?
A. Although the statistics are very high, it has been thought that the amount of new infections
of HIV peaked in the 1990’s for Africa. This means that many countries new infection levels
are stabilizing, and in some cases decreasing – Kenya and Zimbabwe. However, a stable
infection rate does not mean the pandemic is moving away, in fact it just means that the
amount of people being newly infected equals the amount of people dying of AIDS.
Q. What about other countries?
A. There are places of high concern today, where new HIV transmissions are growing at high
rates. These two regions are Eastern Europe and the ‘Golden Triangle’ of Southeast Asia.
HIV/AIDS has been found in every country of the world, while most countries have low-level
prevalence rates. This does not mean, however, that certain countries have “beat” HIV/AIDS.
Countries like Senegal, Thailand, and Brazil are working very hard to keep their epidemics
from expanding and trying to reduce the amount of new infections.
Q. What about a cure?
A. Currently there is no cure or vaccine for HIV/AIDS. There is research on-going in several
fields. Testing of potential vaccines is happening right now. Previous attempts have not had
great success, and even if one of the current attempts were to have positive results it would
be years before it became ready for use. Education, prevention, treatment, and care will
remain focal in the field for those working to change the pandemic of HIV/AIDS.
Q. What about other things?
A. A microbicide gel is being developed, which will be placed in the vagina to prevent HIV
transmission. Studies and research have been on-going for this product for sometime and
many hope one will be ready for use within the coming few years. The drive for such a
product revolves around the fact that it is female controlled, as opposed to the current
prevention technique of condoms that is largely male controlled.
Q. Who is paying all this?
A. The Global Fund for Malaria, TB, and HIV/AIDS has been a source of funding, as well as
private organizations such as the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Estimates show, and the
continued increase in HIV infections prove, that the world’s current efforts are not enough.
Research, prevention, treatment, care, and support are all vitally important and the world has
yet to reach the needed demand so that the HIV/AIDS pandemic can be altered in such a way
that new infections as well as HIV/AIDS deaths drastically decrease.
warm regard
Judy