Together Against Malaria

Archive for the ‘What is Malaria’ Category

Bloom trust is a UK registered charitable social enterprise organisation working to overcome poverty, sickness and hardship by making the world’s poorest and under privileged get safe drinking water and sanitation, eradicate Malaria, Empower Lone Parents families, Equip the youth and engage with Corporate entities to take a positive stand on Corporate Social Responsibility.

Their Vision is to EMPOWER, EQUIP, ENGAGE, ENHANCE AND IMPACT LIVES FOR THE BETTER.

They want to eradidate the unneeded suffering of poorest and most forgotten children. They drill wells for clean drinking water, distribute life straws, pur packets, insecticide treated nets and offer medical care. The also provide basic sanitation through mobile health initiative.

They arrange events, programmes, training to support the youth and lone parent families.They also try to socially equip them and address the issues that affect and provoke them in the community.

The organisation achieves its mission through the support of local communities, churches, non-profit organisations, institutions, government departments, other Trust and Foundations.

Corporate social responsibility (CSR) is a helping hand for present and future.Corporate social responsibility generally refers to transparent business practices that are based on ethical values, Compliance with legal requirements, and respect for people, communities, and the environment.

Bloom Trust Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is a concept wherein the interested organisations take interest on society and take responsibility for the impact of their activities on customers, employees, shareholders, communities and the environment in all aspects of their operations.

The Key CSR issues include governance, environmental management, stakeholder engagement, labour standards, employee and community relations, social equity, responsible sourcing and human rights.

Through an organisation’s effective participation with Bloom Trust International CSR programme, that organisation/company can:



Improve access to capital



Sharpen decision-making and reduce risk



Enhance brand image



Uncover previously hidden commercial opportunities, including new markets



Reduce costs



Attract, retain and motivate employees



Bloom Trust International seeks to partner with local, national and international corporate establishments to work together to bring about positive impact to the people, community and the company.

Penyakit Malaria

Perkataan malaria bermaksud “bad air”. Penyakit ini terkenal di sekitar kawasan Amerika Selatan, Sub-Saharan Africa dan Asia. Kanak-kanak dan wanita mengandung lebih mudah dijangkiti penyakit malaria.

Parasit Malaria

Malaria merupakan satu penyakit yang disebabkan parasit protozoa daripada genus plasmodium.

Terdapat 5 jenis parasit ’strain’ yang menyebabkan malaria di antaranya vivax dan falciparum. 4 daripadanya berupaya menjangkiti manusia. ‘Strain’ falciparum adalah yang paling merbahaya kerana dapat menyebabkan kematian dan bertanggungjawab terhadap 90 peratus kematian. ‘vivax’ biasa didapati di Amerika selatan dan Asia.

Cara Penyebaran Penyakit

Malaria adalah penyakit bawaan nyamuk. Dengan kata lain, nyamuk bertindak sebagai vektor yang memindahkan parasit dari badan pesakit yang dijangkiti malaria ke manusia sihat yang lain dan menyebabkan orang yang sihat ini turut dijangkiti malaria. Cara penyebaran lebih kurang sama dengan penyakit denggi.

Nyamuk dan parasit merupakan ‘ancient creatures’. Jadi, penyakit malaria telah wujud sebelum wujudnya manusia lagi. Parasit ini akan sentiasa berevolusi dan pertarungan antara manusia dan penyakit malaria tidak akan berakhir.

Kenapa?

Bukankah dunia ada chloroquine dan DDT ( dichloro-diphenyl-trichloroethane )?

Chloroquine boleh ganggu ‘reproduction’ parasit, DDT pula racun serangga yang tahan lama. Dengan jumlah yang sedikit saja, DDT dapat membunuh nyamuk yang menyebarkan penyakit ini ‘for months’ dan secara tidak langsung, ia boleh mengganggu kitaran penyakit malaria. ‘Even’ Brazil dan U.S. berjaya menewaskan malaria satu masa dahulu.

Ya. Tapi dunia juga ada mereka yang suka ‘exploit things’. DDT digunakan secara tidak terkawal oleh petani dan menyebabkan pencemaran dan kematian beberapa jenis haiwan.

Pada tahun 1996, penggunaan DDT dihentikan dan digantikan dengan  ‘pyrethroid pesticide’. 1999 – nyamuk pembawa malaria sudah ‘resistant’ terhadap racun tersebut.

Parasit ini akan terus membiak dan akhirnya menyebabkan chloroquine tidak berkesan.

Tanda-tanda Penyakit Malaria

Tanda-tanda serangan parasit malaria termasuklah demam, menggeletar, sakit sendi, kekejangan dan anemia. Berpeluh, rasa sejuk dan panas secara bergilir-gilir merupakan ‘symptom’ klasik malaria. Kekurangan darah (anemia) dapat menyebabkan kerosakan otak secara langsung dan pesakit boleh berada dalam keadaan koma.

Jika tidak dirawat. ia boleh menyebabkan kematian. Dalam kes malaria yang teruk, pesakit mungkin akan mengalami ‘neurogical damage’ yang kekal. Kebanyakkan pesakit terdiri daripada kanak-kanak. falciparum adalah penyebab utama 20 peratus kanak-kanak Zambia mati sebelum berusia 5 tahun.

Malaria juga boleh menyebabkan sakit kepala yang melampau, limpa dan hati membengkak serta mengakibatkan kegagalan ginjal. Malaria yang teruk dapat mengakibatkan kematian dalam masa yang singkat. Seorang kanak-kanak yang sihat pada hari ini mungkin mati keesokkan hari.

One of the most common questions travelers ask when going to tropical countries in Asia is whether they should take malaria medication. The fact is, there is no sole answer to the question – it really depends on where exactly you’re going and what you’ll be doing. For example, it would be sensible to take preventative malaria medication if you were planning a trek in Northern Thailand where it is close to the Myanmar border, while the same measures would be unnecessary for a trip to popular beach island, Bali or Phuket.

According to the WHO, preventing Malaria is as simple as ABCD. This is their prevention outline:

   – Be Aware of the malarial risks you face in the country, the symptoms and the incubation period.

   – Avoid being Bitten by mosquitoes, especially between dusk and dawn.

   – Comply with appropriate prophylactic medication.

   – Seek immediate Diagnosis and treatment if you are experiencing a fever one week or more in the country you’ve traveled to.

How should I prepare? Keeping in mind the WHO strategy as outlined above, protecting yourself against malaria is mostly about common sense. Here are some other tips:

   – Strategize about what to pack. Since malaria is spread through mosquitoes, you can take simple measures to stop yourself being bitten, such as wearing long-sleeved and trouser-length clothes during the evening and using mosquito repellents and nets.

   – If traveling to a high-risk area, prepare yourself accordingly (note that many high-risk areas will have strains of multi-drug resistant malaria so make sure you check with your doctor that you have the correct medication).

   – Talk to your doctor openly about the real risks of contracting the disease in your travels. Remember that anti-malarials can be expensive, have nasty side effects and are not 100% effective so make sure you need to be taking them.

   – Go to online forums to read about other traveler experiences with malaria-affected countries.

Where can I get more information? For fact sheets and a list of malaria-affected countries and preventative measures you can go also go to the Center for Disease Control.