Mosquito, a must go spicies

                                         

Among 3500  of named species of mosquitoes, only couple of  hundred  bite or bother human. Though only few are of them are medical significance, but they cause huge medical and financial burden by spreading diseases like  yellow fever, Dengue fever, Japanese encephalitis, Rift valley fever,Filariasis ,Chikungunya virus,West Nile virus, to mention few.

Though its a small insects but its effect is devastating, it is named a most deadliest creature ever to exist  in world,as it  is responsible for millions of killing of people  far greater than all wars in history! World war II  claimed life of estimated 65Millions,Mongol conquest in 13^th century took approximately 50Millions people,while world war I coasted 20millions of soldiers and civillians,the list of war goes to hundreds ,but still Mosquitoes  over weigh the death toll. By these fact mosquitoes is named as most dangerous creature in the earth.

Malaria is one of the world’s last great scourges; it is endemic in 109 countries most being under developed in Sub Saharan continent  and Asia, keeping Population of 3.3 billion of people at risk of infection, this is more than half of world population being  at risk of malaria, more than 300millions peoples each year suffers of Malaria and kills almost a million of people each year. By this statistics only 10 years could perish Rwanda in history! Most of killings occur in sub Saharan countries ,and 9 out of 10 deaths occur in children under five(90%).according to WHO reports through  Roll Back Malaria (RBM) one child die in every sixty second in Africa due to malaria, the situation is a bit improved compared to ratio of  one child to every thirty seconds in 1998.

Contrary to WHO through Roll Back Malaria campaigns, it was projected in 1998 to halve deaths resulted from malaria by 2010 and halves by 2015. In Research done 2010 it indicated over 1.2 Million people die of Malaria, though skeptics invalidate the figure due to the use of verbal autopsy as a tool for data collections. Still it’s clear message the problem is still at its peak.

Tanzania fall in 23^rd position, another African country, Sierra Leone top the list of WHO ranks for Malaria mortality rate. In Tanzania Malaria mortality rate goes to sixty thousands persons  each year, this is just  a single disease, which claims lives equal to four times the population of university of dar es salaam students .if I should be clear Iraq war Causalities from January 2004 to December 2009 (5years) is around one hundred thousands, according to wiki leaks. Tanzania can attain Iraq’s casualties by HIV/AIDS (86,0000 deaths) and Malaria (60,000 deaths) alone for a year. This should not be a joke.

Apart from deaths, malaria  has  other  consequences; brain damage, experience cognitive of illness and child hood retardation which are so common in sub Saharan countries, As per  Millennium Development Goals Progression Report  (MDG) indicates about 40%  (almost half) of under five in Tanzania  are stunted due to Malnutrition and chronic infections, stunting is reflections of poor/under developments of both physical and intellect abilities of a child, this affects entire country  fail to develop economically, cementing a future of desperation and poverty that spans generations.

As 300millions people suffer of Malaria, on the other hand 34millions suffers from HIV/AIDS, with estimated 2.7Millions new case infections per year and around 2Millions die of HIV/AIDS each year worldwide. The one billion questions is; what is best way to deal with malaria?

To be specific with malaria and mosquitoes, of all 3500 named species, anopheles act as malaria vector, a female anopheles feeds on  vertebrate’s blood as host, while male  anopheles feeds on flower’s nectar!!

Through sucking blood, a malaria causative agent are injected; plasmodium species, of the four species of plasmodium;plasmodium vivax,malariae,ovale,are less dorminant,while plasmodium falciparum  counts about 80% of all malaria infections in sub Saharan continent .its these tiny species that hinder  (recession) economic recovery  estimated to 1.3% in GDP growth in Africa.Its plasmodium through mosquito accounting for 40% of outpatient clinics in Tanzania, and  Kenya and 40-50% of inpatient admission in Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania. Its  plasmodium  which costs the world $ 1.5-2.5 billions as estimated by RBM for malaria bettle.Tanzania spends about $52 Millions to combat the disease. Despite of multi vertical programmers’ like Ifakara health institute, Bill & Melinda foundation, Clinton foundation etc ,still the puzzle seems to be unsolved!!

Its high time to accept different approach, the absolute preventive measures has to come into effect  now than latter ,as indoor spraying has done for years, Insecticide treated net is almost  one bed to one net ratio, residual spraying and a vast anti malarial drugs ranging from Quinine,chloroquine,amodiaquine,pyrimethamine,prroguanil,sulfonamides,mefloquine,atevaquone,primaquine,to artemisinin and derivatives but still resistance peaks. Only new approach can rescue the world, and make the world free of Malaria as it is in Morocco, Armenia,Turkamistan,and UAE.

Its right time to eradicate the mosquito species. If not all species, at least anopheles, female anopheles.

Though it looks like futile idea to skeptics ecologist, and religious ethnic based on arguments;”wipping out species of mosquito could not leave predator without prey or plants without pollinator” and “we as human we don’t have  mandate to whip  God’s creatures” respectively, these speculations  need extensive discourse.

Yet in many cases, scientist acknowledges ecological scar left by a missing mosquito would heal quickly as the niche was filled by other organism. Life would continue as before and even better. Steven Juliano, Insect ecologist at Illinois state university says “it’s difficult to see what the downside would be removal, except for collateral damage”. Many lives will be saved; many would no longer be sapped.”the elimanationof anopheles would be very significant for mankind” a medical entomologist Carlos Bristola of federal university of santa catarina in Brazil stated,”a world without mosquito would be more sucured for us, he added.“The romantic notion of every creature having a vital place in nature may not be enough to plead the mosquito’s case. It is the limitations of mosquito-killing methods, not the limitations of intent, that make a world without mosquitoes unlikely”stated Janet fang a prominent scientist  in her  article; the world without mosquito, Nature magazine, July edition 2010

We need opinions from our noble scientists from Africa, Prof. Premji ,prof.  Kihamia ,or prof.Tarimo  the  parasitologist and entomologist at  Muhimbili university-MUHAS can have the same reservations? Who knows!

On eradication of mosquito species less burden on health system and hospitals, redirection of public-health expenditures for vector-borne diseases control to other priority health issues, less absentee from school. And it would recover African economy by 1.3% GDP.

Pharmaceuticals Company are making huge profit through Malaria, and there is myth malaria is the best investments in drug market!! Time is now, if we eradicated polio by 99%,measles,whooping cough, why not Malaria?. YES WE CAN.

It’s the right time to push the agenda, politician to ecologist, physician  to street vendors, to speak one language, its time time to invest our  billions  on developing best ways to eradicates these terrible species ,its time all stake holders to speak one language, its time for ecologist to weigh pros and cons, of keeping the species at expense of our lives.unless ecologist and religious ethnic comes with strong arguments  which favors this  “terrorist creature” otherwise their arguments are flawed as it is right