Malaria and HIV in Africa
Fig I
Blue shade represents areas prone to Malaria
Green points to areas with high HIV pandemic rates
Country in risk and prone to Malaria
Angola
Botswana
Burundi
Ethiopia
Kenya
Mozambique
Namibia
Rwanda
Senegal
South Africa
Swaziland
Sudan
Uganda
Zambia
Zimbabwe
Tanzania
Somalia
Analysis of Malaria and AIDS in the equatorial Africa
There seem to be a dominant focus for these diseases in the Equatorial Africa. This is attributed to the climatic conditions of the region. Heavy rains, high temperatures and high humidity levels make good breeding environmental for Malaria causing parasites (mosquitoes). Countries with stable and developing economies have been able to legislate and curb the level of infections in these respective countries.
Focus on enlightening the people in the equatorial Africa about how to prevent them against the pandemic is more emphatic within the auspices of Malaria fights is much visible.
Regional efforts to solve the disease problem
Auspices including United Nations, World Vision, World Bank and other organizations have teamed up with governments in the region to help curb the pandemics. These efforts focus on enlightening and helping people with awareness programs and giving preventive nets as well as medicine to help lessen the burden of infection and cost of hospitalization. In Kenya, drugs have been made free. Cases of Malaria have gone down substantially. In Southern Africa, Malaria is seen to be axed with more efforts to legislate and offer very efficient solution to prevention working quite well. In Central Africa, United Nations presence has contributed to stopping increase of infections. This is through grants and free medicine as well as effective strategies, especially giving treated nets and making sure mosquito breeding area’s are incapacitated to breed mosquitoes.
HIV has become somewhat a difficult problem for the region. In Kenya infection rate has gone down drastically at about 11%. Through capacity building and community empowerment the community has been well informed about the dangers of HIV/AIDS. The region seems to have the support of donors in fighting the spread of the disease as well as taking care of those infected. This is through financial help and cheap drugs for those infected. Empowerment and capacity building has made it possible to alleviate spread and suffering.
Disease pattern prediction involving objects and their spatial relationships
The pattern of disease spread and similarity of infection rate and levels in the region shows correlation to environment and economic stature of the region. Malaria seems prevalent in regions where AIDS prevalence is high. Patients with Malaria also have HIV/AIDS. The facts about this as explained by World Helth organization 2007, are that those infected with AIDS are exposed to Malaria in this region since they lack basic prevention and medicine. This exposes them to Malaria more easily. The environment contributes to spread of Malaria while Malaria becomes a dangerous opportunistic disease in those infected with AIDS.
Through capacity building and empowerment schemes, auspices have made it to identify areas of weakness and aptly come in to curb the spread of both diseases at community level.
Human geography correlation to the pattern of disease spread.
Natives and migrants have varying infection levels. Natives are more resistant to Malaria while the natives seem to be unable to resist it. The geography of the area represents the type of disease threat level. The common type of infection is known as highland Malaria and the drugs described are different to those given to people living in dry and arid areas.
Transmission of disease
Malaria in this region is transmitted to the human beings through a mosquito bite. The mosquito is a specific breed known as the anopheles mosquito. Only the female anopheles mosquito transmits Malaria. The plasmodium is transmitted into the human body through the bite. The plasmodium then begins to multiply and cause Malaria fever which is a killer disease.