Catherine Falade Quotes

As at July 2016, resistance to the first –line treatment for P. falciparum malaria(Artemisinin-based combination therapies also known as (ACTs), has been confirmed in five countries of the Greater Mekong sub –region. The Greater Mekong sub-region include Cambodia, the Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam.

The malaria vaccine reduces prevalence, morbidity, and mortality from malaria attacks; the concern is that people take three antigens and then take the vaccines.

Whether you are working at a COVID-19 centre or not, all of us are exposed to the virus. Patients come in for acute surgical operation, without even knowing they have COVID-19. But when we check for signs and symptoms, we get to discover they are positive.

Antibiotic resistance is present in every country. Patients with infections caused by drug-resistant bacteria are at risk of worse clinical outcomes and death.

The masses in Nigeria, particularly at the grassroots, need to be properly informed about this. Otherwise, Nigerians will read another meaning into the efforts of government and the World Health Organisation (WHO).

They should be informed by healthcare givers, community centres, the media and all stakeholders that what the vaccine does is to reduce the attack of malaria and not to totally prevent it.

When some people are told they have COVID-19 after the laboratory test, they will say ‘It is not my portion’ and hide the result. They will come and start complaining again, hoping the doctor will come to a different conclusion.

Access to the right medicine will go a long way in assisting to stem the malaria scourge and drug manufacturers should also stick to the WHO recommended manufacturers standard.

More than 20 other vaccine constructs are currently being evaluated in clinical trials or are at an advanced pre-clinical development.

The poor masses are also affected due to ineffective and costly way of treatment, which cannot be afforded by the parents.

A lot of the adults say chloroquine works because they had never had malaria to start with. They were probably stressed or tired from too much work or a hectic lifestyle. So, instead of resting, they conclude that they have malaria and then go ahead to take chloroquine before retiring to bed. By the time they have slept for a day or two, they feel fine, and they assume that they had malaria that chloroquine cured.

Any patient that is positive for malaria on the rapid diagnostic test should be treated with an efficacious drug and that is Artemisinin-based Combination Therapy (ACT) and not chloroquine. Chloroquine has failed. Many adults will tell you chloroquine works for malaria. But that is because chloroquine has an anti-inflammatory effect and so the aches and pains will go. Chloroquine also has fever-lowering effects which also makes the patient feel better as the fever resolves at least for a while as he/she will not feel febrile but the parasites are still swimming in the blood and growing because the parasites have developed resistance to it.

They consume more health-care resources than patients infected with non-resistant strains of the same bacteria.

More researches should be encouraged for non-communicable disease like malaria while rational and acceptable use of recommended drug should be encouraged.

New researches are on-going to develop new antimicrobial medicines and vaccines to tackle malaria- resistance, which has now become a burden to public health