malaria

These achievements were presented by the National Department of Health Malaria Program Manager, Leo Makita; PNG Institute of Medical Research Deputy Director, Dr Moses Laman; and National Department of Health Malaria Medical Officer, Dr Leonard Nawara, to over 100 medical practitioners and students at the University of Papua New Guinea’s School of Medicine and Health Sciences on 26 February.

Experts from Melbourne independent medical research centre, the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute, have discovered carbohydrates play a vital role in the malaria parasite's infection of humans.

Justin Boddey and his team made the discovery, which debunks the long-held belief that the single-celled malaria parasite only uses proteins to infect humans.

"So what this research has shown is that the parasite tags many of the proteins on its surface with carbohydrates," he told AM.

A team tested their idea in nine villages in the arid Bandiagara district of Mali, West Africa.

Removing flowers from a common shrub appeared to kill off lots of the older, adult, female, biting insects that transmit malaria.

Without enough nectar the "granny" mosquitoes starve, experts believe.

Killing granny

Getting rid of the mature females can stop the cycle of malaria transmission.

These Anopheles mosquitoes carry the malaria parasite in their salivary glands and pass it on to people when they bite and draw blood.

Out of the nine million, eight million has gone directly to households, while the other one million goes to pregnant women, schools and prison.

The RAM has been in the country since 2009, assisting the National Department of Health in combating malaria.

But it is also the biggest challenge for the National Health Department and partners.

Leo Makita, Program Manager Malaria says that “getting people to sleep under a mosquito net every day is a big challenge.

Still, this is the most basic rule in malaria prevention, he says.

“Our aim is to make sure people use mosquito nets and are getting tested and treated,” he said.

This year’s global theme for World Malaria Day is ‘End Malaria for Good’.

As a lead-up to 25 April, the World Health Organization is shining a spotlight on prevention, a critical strategy for reducing the toll of a disease that continues to kill more than 400,000 people annually.

Since 2000, malaria prevention has played an important role in reducing cases and deaths, primarily through the scale up of insecticide-treated nets and indoor spraying with insecticides.

Loop lifestyle brings information you should know about Dengue and Severe Dengue made available by the City Pharmacy group through their awareness program.

DENGUE is a mosquito-borne viral disease that has rapidly spread in all regions of WHO in recent years.

Dengue virus is transmitted by female mosquitoes mainly of the species Aedesaegypti, and to lesser extent.

 The disease is widespread throughout the tropics, with local variations in risk influenced by rainfall, temperature and unplanned rapid urbanization.

Dengue, like Malaria, is mosquito-borne. However, it is a viral infection, still without a cure and considered very dangerous.

PNG had reported cases of dengue in 2016.

Early February this year, Sr Miriam Joseph from the nurse station at Stop N Shop – Rainbow also referred one positive case.

Thus, CPL has taken the responsibility to inform its staff about this infectious disease, to spread awareness within their shops.

Sr Joseph said especially during this rainy season, people need exercise preventative measures.

In the 61 other cases recorded, the sufferers became infected on the Indian subcontinent and African states, where the disease is endemic.

The districts affected stretch from the Peloponnese to Thessaloniki.

Domestic cases were first reported four years ago - nearly four decades after the disease was wiped out in Greece.

Budget cuts saw municipal spraying schemes to combat mosquito-borne diseases being cut back.

Stay away from political impasse, Guinness warns

Northern Divisional Commander Peter Guinness has called on all police personnel in Eastern Highlands to work together as a unit for the betterment of policing in the province.

http://www.looppng.com/content/stay-away-political-impasse-guinness-warns

Toksy released from Bomana