ANKARA 

While humanity is struggling with coronavirus outbreak, the world is observing on April 25 Malaria Day, highlighting the importance of the fight against another life-threatening disease.

Although it is very easy and inexpensive to prevent deaths from malaria, people in sub-Saharan Africa and the Far East still suffer from it, according to a Turkish professor.

Dr. Recep Akdur, an expert in public health at Baskent University in the capital Ankara, told Anadolu Agency that Malaria depends on social conditions, and it becomes lethal when poverty, deprivation, and inability to access to health care come together.

These conditions are usually widespread in Africa where 94% of deaths from malaria are observed.

Malaria caused the death of more than 405,000 people, Akdur stressed.

He also said: "Malaria treatment does not produce enough profit for the pharmaceutical industry," claiming that administrations do not take the disease, which has killed millions, seriously.

Preventive measures

Referring to the preventive measures, Akdur said the most important measure is to find and treat patients as well as carriers. By implementing a serious test system, people should be tested on a regular basis, particularly in places the risk of infection is higher.

Although the types of malaria, seen in Europe and Anatolia, do not cause death, Akdur says, Plasmodium Falciparum [unicellular protozoan parasite] Malaria, which has become widespread in Africa, might kill if early and proper medical care is not provided.

He also stressed that those who go to countries that Malaria is common, sub-Saharan African countries, Far East countries, should be very careful and monitored for symptoms after their arrivals. To be protected from mosquitoes during a visit is even more important.

Warning that pregnant women, children under aged 5, cancer patients and elders are in the high-risk group, Akdur said that those must not travel if it is not necessary.

"The amount of money needed to fight against malaria is very small on a global scale. Even less than the amount of money that some spend on holiday. Unfortunately, Africans fail to reach that amount of money," he added.

Akdur said that with the Malaria Elimination Program in Turkey, there has been a success in domestic cases, but he also warned that there is always a threat that Malaria could spread in the country from abroad.

Chloroquine medication in COVID-19

Akdur, who is also an executive board member of the Turkish Society of Microbiology, said there is no evidence-based information that the chloroquine medication, used in malaria, is protective for COVID-19 cases.

“Therapeutic trials continue in patients in intensive care. In other words, it is only one of nearly 100 drugs that have been tried in coronavirus treatment,” he added.

Scientists and researchers across the world are scrambling to find a vaccine for the novel coronavirus which has infected over 2.82 million people worldwide and killed more than 197,500.

Until such a discovery, health experts are treating patients with anti-malaria drugs, including hydroxychloroquine and chloroquine, which have shown positive results for a coronavirus-related lung infection.

Malaria is transmitted via the sting of parasite-carrying female anopheles mosquitoes and it manifests symptoms of headache, weakness, fatigue, abdominal discomfort in a month.

Especially in Africa, insecticide-treated mosquito nets are one of the cheapest and most effective methods of personal protection against malaria.

According to the World Health Organization's 2019 World Malaria Report published in December last year, 228 million malaria cases were seen in 2018, and 405,000 people lost their lives in the same year.

World Malaria Day was established in May 2007 by the 60th session of the World Health Assembly.