Malaria Research

Malaria remains one of the main causes of mortality and morbidity in sub-Saharan Africa. Matian van Soest looks at the malaria epidemic in the peri-urban zones of Uganda's capital Kampala against the backdrop of recent socio-ecological transformations. Based on long-term ethnographic research, the book provides a holistic picture of the malaria epidemic in central Uganda, revealing the highly localized character of an epidemic that once spanned across almost the entire globe. Understanding, and ultimately tackling the disease, requires an appreciation of the social, political, as well as ecological circumstances that frame this epidemic.

Among the many who serve in the United States Armed Forces and who are deployed to distant locations around the world, myriad health threats are encountered. In addition to those associated with the disruption of their home life and potential for combat, they may face distinctive disease threats that are specific to the locations to which they are deployed. U.S. forces have been deployed many times over the years to areas in which malaria is endemic, including in parts of Afghanistan and Iraq. Department of Defense (DoD) policy requires that antimalarial drugs be issued and regimens adhered to for deployments to malaria-endemic areas. Policies directing which should be used as first and as second-line agents have evolved over time based on new data regarding adverse events or precautions for specific underlying health conditions, areas of deployment, and other operational factors At the request of the Veterans Administration, Assessment of Long-Term Health Effects of Antimalarial Drugs When Used for Prophylaxis assesses the scientific evidence regarding the potential for long-term health effects resulting from the use of antimalarial drugs that were approved by FDA or used by U.S. service members for malaria prophylaxis, with a focus on mefloquine, tafenoquine, and other antimalarial drugs that have been used by DoD in the past 25 years. This report offers conclusions based on available evidence regarding associations of persistent or latent adverse events.

Johannesburg : The Mapungubwe Institute for Strategic Reflection (MISTRA)
SummaryNews footage of disease in Africa is a familiar sight. Yet these outbreaks are often presented out of context, with no reference to the conditions that have triggered them. MISTRA's new book, Epidemics and the Health of African Nations, aims to redress that. Researchers and practitioners from within the continent explore why Africa is so vulnerable to disease, and show how this vulnerability is closely linked to political and economic factors. They demonstrate how these same factors determine the way epidemics are treated. Authors extract lessons from case studies in different parts of Africa; challenge conventional frameworks about disease to argue for a 'syndemics' approach that takes into account the interrelationship between disease and political and socio-economic contexts; explore challenges of Africa's future. They argue that a well-functioning health system is at the core of a country's capacity to counter an epidemic. This volume brings African experts together to probe possible solutions to the continent's heavy burden of disease. The insights offered will be helpful in devising policy for the control of disease and the combatting of epidemics in Africa.

Introduces readers to the growing applications of nutraceuticals and other natural product derivatives This comprehensive book presents a prophylactic and therapeutic approach to chronic disease prevention strategy by highlighting the translational potential of plant-derived dietary and non-dietary factors from epidemiological, laboratory, and clinical studies. It also shares the experiences of highly reputed experts working in the area of phytomedicine and nutraceutical agents in chemoprevention, to promote the significance of natural products and dietary factors as an elite priority for containing chronic diseases in the human population. Nutraceuticals and Natural Product Derivatives: Disease Prevention & Drug Discovery starts by examining natural food sources for the control of glycemia and the prevention of diabetic complications. It then looks at the anti-aging effects of sulfur-containing amino acids and nutraceuticals, and the potential of garcinia fruits to combat metabolic syndrome. Other topics covered include honey- and propolis-mediated regulation of protein networks in cancer cells; recent trends in drug discovery against Alzheimer's disease; the therapeutic potential of metalloherbal nanoceuticals; and much more. Offers an alternative, natural approach to the prevention of chronic diseases Emphasizes the potential of plant-derived dietary and non-dietary factors from epidemiological, laboratory, and clinical studies Features contributions from world-renowned experts in the field of phytomedicine and nutraceutical agents in chemoprevention Includes prevention strategies in normal/risk populations through routine inclusion of specific dietary regimens and as therapeutic strategy for better management through adjuvant interventions with conventional treatment protocols Nutraceuticals and Natural Product Derivatives: Disease Prevention & Drug Discovery will appeal to graduate students and professionals in cell and molecular biology, translational research, pharmacology/drug discovery, medicinal chemistry, and clinical nutrition.

Malaria is one of the most important "emerging" or "resurgent" infectious diseases. According to the World Health Organization, this mosquito-borne infection is a leading cause of suffering, death, poverty, and underdevelopment in the world today. Every year 500 million people become severely ill from malaria and more than a million people die, the great majority of them women and children living in sub-Saharan Africa. In 2008, it was estimated, a child would die of the disease every thirty seconds, making malaria -- together with HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis -- a global public health emergency. This is in stark contrast to the heady visions of the 1950s predicting complete global eradication of the ancient scourge. What went wrong?This question warrants a closer look at not just the disease itself, but its long history and the multitude of strategies to combat its spread. This book collects the many important milestones in malaria control and treatment in one convenient volume. Importantly, it also traces the history of the disease from the 1920s to the present, and over several continents. It is the first multidisciplinary volume of its kind combining historical and scientific information that addresses the global challenge of malaria control.Malaria remains as resurgent as ever and The Global Challenge of Malaria: Past Lessons and Future Prospects will examine this challenge -- and the range of strategies and tools to confront it -- from an interdisciplinary and transnational perspective.

At the outset of the twentieth century, malaria was Italy's major public health problem. It was the cause of low productivity, poverty, and economic backwardness, while it also stunted literacy, limited political participation, and undermined the army. In this book Frank Snowden recounts how Italy became the world center for the development of malariology as a medical discipline and launched the first national campaign to eradicate the disease. Snowden traces the early advances, the setbacks of world wars and Fascist dictatorship, and the final victory against malaria after World War II. He shows how the medical and teaching professions helped educate people in their own self-defense and in the process expanded trade unionism, women's consciousness, and civil liberties. He also discusses the antimalarial effort under Mussolini's regime and reveals the shocking details of the German army's intentional release of malaria among Italian civilians--the first and only known example of bioterror in twentieth-century Europe. Comprehensive and enlightening, this history offers important lessons for today's global malaria emergency.

Long before the "germ theory" of disease was described, late in the nineteenth century, humans knew that climatic conditions influence the appearance and spread of epidemic diseases. Ancient notions about the effects of weather and climate on disease remain embedded in our collective consciousness-through expressions such as "cold" for rhinovirus infections; "malaria," derived from the Latin for "bad air;" and the common complaint of feeling "under the weather." Today, evidence is mounting that earth's climate is changing at a faster rate than previously appreciated, leading researchers to view the longstanding relationships between climate and disease with new urgency and from a global perspective. On December 4 and 5, 2007, the Forum on Microbial Threats hosted a public workshop in Washington, DC to consider the possible infectious disease impacts of global climate change and extreme weather events on human, animal, and plant health, as well as their expected implications for global and national security.

This book is a major and wide-ranging study of the great epidemic scourges of humanity-plague, leprosy, smallpox, syphilis, cholera, and yellow fever/malaria-over the last six centuries. It will become the standard account of the way diseases arising through chance, through reckless environmental change engineered by man, or through a combination of each were interpreted in Western Europe and in the colonized world. "This trenchant book provides a salutary antidote to world health complacency, past and present."-Roy Porter, The Times (London) "Watts' . . . mastery of six centuries of Western-influenced infectious disease and sanitation history is impressive. He also writes with authority about the pre-modern and modern medical profession."-Claire Panosian, Los Angeles Times Book Review "Watts offers solid, stunning examples of Western idiocy that created superhighways for once-obscure microbes, leading to horrendous epidemics. . . . His is a perspective that Western, particularly Caucasian, policy-makers would do well to comprehend."-Laurie Garrett, Foreign Affairs "The convenience of so much history of diseases in one place is obvious. An] engrossing book."-Gert Brieger, M.D., New England Journal of Medicine "An important contribution to our understanding of the history of disease, public health, and imperialism."-Suzanne Austin Alchon, American Historical Review

Global environmental change and recent worldwide infectious-disease outbreaks make the ecological perspective of medical anthropology more important a field of study than ever. In this premier teaching text, authors Ann McElroy and Patricia K. Townsend integrate biocultural, environmental, and evolutionary approaches to the study of human health, providing a complete and authoritative ecological perspective that is essential for interpreting medical anthropology. Research by biological anthropologists, archaeologists, and paleopathologists illuminates the history and prehistory of disease, along with coverage of contemporary health issues, both local and global. This sixth edition is thoroughly revised and updated, with expanded discussion on the interaction of environment and infectious disease; new material on climate change, globalization, and the effects of war on physical and mental health; and an entirely new chapter on ethics in medical anthropology. Medical Anthropology in Ecological Perspective captures the essentials of the discipline--and covers its ever-changing topics, trends, and developments--in an engaging, accessible way.

This volume contains the contributions of the keynote speakers to the BIOMAT 2005 symposium, as well as a collection of selected papers by pioneering researchers. It provides a comprehensive review of the mathematical modeling of cancer development, Alzheimer's disease, malaria, and aneurysm development. Various models for the immune system and epidemiological issues are analyzed and reviewed. The book also explores protein structure prediction by optimization and combinatorial techniques (Steiner trees). The coverage includes bioinformatics issues, regulation of gene expression, evolution, development, DNA and array modeling, and small world networks.

This is the first book to address public health issues in traditional, complementary and alternative medicine (TCAM). It presents state-of-the-art reviews of TCAM research in a range of priority public health areas such as malaria and HIV and in such common ailments as skin conditions and orthopedic injury in developing countries. Contributions analyze policy trends in areas such as financing of TCAM and education and training in this field as well as selected case studies of model TCAM projects. Important chapters on research methodology, ethical and safety issues, and intellectual property rights pertaining to traditional medicine are also presented.Public financing for TCAM is a test of the commitment of governments, and the book includes an analysis from the World Health Organization's (WHO) Global Atlas data of the worldwide trends in this area. With safety concerns foremost in the minds of both policy makers and the public, the book offers a global overview of policy and legislative trends in this field as well as an important set of guidelines for pharmacovigilance and TCAM products.

Written by authorities from various related specialties, this book presents the most complete treatment possible of the conditions responsible for water- and sanitation-related diseases, the pathogens and their biology, morbidity and mortality resulting from lack of safe water and sanitation, distribution of these diseases, and the conditions that must be met to reduce or eradicate them. Preventive measures and solutions are presented throughout. This book is an essential resource for all graduate students, postdoctoral scholars, and professionals in infectious disease, public health and medicine, chemical and environmental engineering, and international affairs. Key features: Provides a comprehensive understanding of the interconnection among many factors related to water-related diseases, sanitation and hygiene Brings together experts from various specialties to address each area covered and to assist in bringing about the understanding of those interconnections Provides examples of successful interventions with knowledge about how they were brought about so that information can be use to replicate the initiative in full or in part Provides an appreciation of the concerns and solutions addressed from an international perspective with high and low technological solutions Provides insight into the international dimension of these concerns and how they can be best addressed

Indigenous knowledge has become a catchphrase in global struggles for environmental justice. Yet indigenous knowledges are often viewed, incorrectly, as pure and primordial cultural artifacts. This collection draws from African and North American cases to argue that the forms of knowledge identified as "indigenous" resulted from strategies to control environmental resources during and after colonial encounters. At times indigenous knowledges represented a "middle ground" of intellectual exchanges between colonizers and colonized; elsewhere, indigenous knowledges were defined through conflict and struggle. The authors demonstrate how people claimed that their hybrid forms of knowledge were communal, religious, and traditional, as opposed to individualist, secular, and scientific, which they associated with European colonialism. Indigenous Knowledge and the Environment offers comparative and transnational insights that disturb romantic views of unchanging indigenous knowledges in harmony with the environment. The result is a book that informs and complicates how indigenous knowledges can and should relate to environmental policy-making. Contributors: David Bernstein, Derick Fay, Andrew H. Fisher, Karen Flint, David M. Gordon, Paul Kelton, Shepard Krech III, Joshua Reid, Parker Shipton, Lance van Sittert, Jacob Tropp, James L. A. Webb, Jr., Marsha Weisiger

COVID-19 -- COVID-19 Disease -- Time for Physicians to Create History Together -- Coronavirus infections -- Will the Coronavirus End Globalization as We Know It? -- GENERAL INFORMATION ABOUT PANDEMICS -- Epidemics and pandemics: History -- Epidemics and pandemics: Causes and management -- Outbreaks of infectious disease -- Public health -- LATE MIDDLE AGES -- Invasion of the Black Death in Europe -- The Black Death: Two Readings -- Decameron -- Florentine Chronicle -- Genocide of American Indians -- SEVENTEENTH CENTURY -- 1635: Mohawk Tribesman Efforts Help Prevent Smallpox -- Great Plague in London -- EIGHTEENTH CENTURY -- Last Major Outbreak of Plague -- Document 19: John Bartram on Reclaiming Florida's Wetlands (1767) -- NINETEENTH CENTURY -- National Quarantine Act -- Thirteen-Year-Old Orphan in 1882 -- Ross Establishes Malaria's Transmission Vector -- TWENTIETH CENTURY -- Mary Mallon -- An Army Physician on the 1918 Flu Pandemic -- Influenza Epidemic Strikes -- 1919 Profile Health: Preventing Another Influenza Epidemic -- 1919 Profile: College Freshman from North Carolina -- Drinker and Shaw Develop a Mechanical Respirator -- Zinsser Develops an Immunization Against Typhus -- Typhus immunization -- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) -- World Health Organization (WHO) -- Epidemic Intelligence Service (EIS) -- On the Polio Vaccine Situation -- Sabin Develops the Oral Polio Vaccine -- Asian Flu Pandemic Kills Millions Worldwide -- Asian flu epidemic -- Ebola Epidemic Kills First of Many in Africa -- AIDS epidemic -- Meningitis Outbreak Proves Deadly in West Africa -- TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY -- SARS Epidemic Results In Over 8,000 Reported Cases And 774 Known Deaths -- Severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) -- "The Earlier, the Better: Building Immune Defenses Against H1N1," NewsUSA, June 12, 2009 -- New Strain of Swine Flu Does not Kill as Many People as Originally Feared -- Outbreaks of the Zika Virus Spread Throughout Much of the Americas.

Paul Farmer has battled AIDS in rural Haiti and deadly strains of drug-resistant tuberculosis in the slums of Peru. A physician-anthropologist with more than fifteen years in the field, Farmer writes from the front lines of the war against these modern plagues and shows why, even more than those of history, they target the poor. This "peculiarly modern inequality" that permeates AIDS, TB, malaria, and typhoid in the modern world, and that feeds emerging (or re-emerging) infectious diseases such as Ebola and cholera, is laid bare in Farmer's harrowing stories of sickness and suffering. Challenging the accepted methodologies of epidemiology and international health, he points out that most current explanatory strategies, from "cost-effectiveness" to patient "noncompliance," inevitably lead to blaming the victims. In reality, larger forces, global as well as local, determine why some people are sick and others are shielded from risk. Yet this moving account is far from a hopeless inventory of insoluble problems. Farmer writes of what can be done in the face of seemingly overwhelming odds, by physicians determined to treat those in need. Infections and Inequalities weds meticulous scholarship with a passion for solutions--remedies for the plagues of the poor and the social maladies that have sustained them.

In Parasitism, Claude Combes explores the fascinating adaptations parasites have developed through their intimate interactions with their hosts. He begins with the biology of parasites--their life cycles, habitats, and different types of associations with their hosts. Next he discusses genetic interactions between hosts and parasites, and he ends with a section on the community ecology of parasites and their role in the evolution of their hosts. Throughout the book Combes enlivens his discussion with a wealth of concrete examples of host-parasite interactions.