Malaria affects approximately 207 million people each year (10 facts). What starts out as a mosquito bite can lead to organ failure and death if not treated quickly. This is why the majority of the people who die from malaria each year live in third world countries such as those found in Africa, where medicines and doctors are not easily accessible.
When a mosquito bites a mammal who is hosting the malaria parasite, the mosquito becomes a carrier for the disease. Then, when the mosquito bites a human, the parasite is transmitted to the non-infected human. The parasites travel to the liver where they begin to multiply and spread throughout the body using the blood stream (Greenwood, 2005). The parasite lives inside the red blood cells where it is safe from the immune system and can multiply. It multiplies to the point where it bursts the cell and the parasites must find a new cell to live in. Victims of malaria often experience fevers, headaches, nausea, vomiting and convulsions. It eventually spreads and kills so many cells that the person dies.
There are four different types of malaria parasites that account for most human infections and result in varying symptoms. These different types of parasites allow the disease to infect the people living in different ecosystems and result in many epidemiological patterns across the world (Greenwood, 2005). The way malaria forms and controls its host cells makes it difficult for the immune system to defend against. When a cell is infected, the parasite mimics a healthy cell keeping it safe from macrophages, this helps malaria to spread and attack the whole body.
Sickle cell anemia is a genetic disorder that also affects the blood system. Therefore, it’s not surprising that these two diseases are related. When a person has sickle cell anemia, their blood cells are unable to deliver oxygen to the rest of their body. The blood cells sickle and become relatively useless (Taylor). A person who is a carrier of sickle cell anemia (a carrier being a person who can pass the allele for sickle cell anemia on to their children but doesn’t have sickle cell themselves), has a defense against malaria. When their cells get infected with the parasite, the cell immediately sickles and are then eaten by a macrophage (part the body’s immune system). This protects them from malaria and keeps them from getting sick. However, if you do have sickle cell anemia, the malaria parasite is significantly more deadly because the few healthy blood cells you do have are killed by the parasite, leaving the individual with no functioning red blood cells (Luzzatto, 2012).
Many diseases are connected to the ecosystem. Malaria and Sickle cell anemia are found in Ethiopia, which has a very large range of ecosystems. This is mainly due to the large mountain range that runs through the country causing the elevations to jump from -125 m in the Afar region (lowest) to 4,620 m at the top of Ras Dashen Terara (Highest). These ecosystems can be categorized in many different ways depending on what is decided upon as being an important factor but, when using more traditional categorizing strategies for ecosystems, Ethiopia comes up with about ten. These include: Afroalpine and Subafroalpine, Montane dry forest and scrub, Montane moist forest, Acacia-Comiphora woodland, Combretum-Terminalia woodland, Lowland humid forest, Aquatic, wetland, Montane grassland, and desert and semidesert ecosystems (Diversity of Ecosystems). All of these ecosystems create a wide variety of places in which the malaria parasite and its vector the mosquito must survive. Because the mosquito is part of the ecosystem it will be affected by its ecosystem. This causes a correlation between malaria and the ecosystems it is found in.
The research done will be looking for a, possible correlation between malaria, sickle cell anemia and the ecosystems where these diseases are found. It will look at how malaria is connected to the temperature of the ecosystem, the ability for the malaria parasite to survive at different temperatures, herbal coverage, tree coverage, annual precipitation, wetlands, elevation, water bodies, and terrestrial ecoregions. The correlation between malaria, sickle cell anemia and each environmental factor will also be graphed and mathematically correlated.
It was hypothesized that, in certain areas in Ethiopia and other parts of Africa, malaria is affected by its surrounding ecosystems and that by looking at this relationship, outbreaks of malaria could possibly be prevented. It was also hypothesized that malaria and sickle cell anemia are directly correlated.
When a mosquito bites a mammal who is hosting the malaria parasite, the mosquito becomes a carrier for the disease. Then, when the mosquito bites a human, the parasite is transmitted to the non-infected human. The parasites travel to the liver where they begin to multiply and spread throughout the body using the blood stream (Greenwood, 2005). The parasite lives inside the red blood cells where it is safe from the immune system and can multiply. It multiplies to the point where it bursts the cell and the parasites must find a new cell to live in. Victims of malaria often experience fevers, headaches, nausea, vomiting and convulsions. It eventually spreads and kills so many cells that the person dies.
There are four different types of malaria parasites that account for most human infections and result in varying symptoms. These different types of parasites allow the disease to infect the people living in different ecosystems and result in many epidemiological patterns across the world (Greenwood, 2005). The way malaria forms and controls its host cells makes it difficult for the immune system to defend against. When a cell is infected, the parasite mimics a healthy cell keeping it safe from macrophages, this helps malaria to spread and attack the whole body.
Sickle cell anemia is a genetic disorder that also affects the blood system. Therefore, it’s not surprising that these two diseases are related. When a person has sickle cell anemia, their blood cells are unable to deliver oxygen to the rest of their body. The blood cells sickle and become relatively useless (Taylor). A person who is a carrier of sickle cell anemia (a carrier being a person who can pass the allele for sickle cell anemia on to their children but doesn’t have sickle cell themselves), has a defense against malaria. When their cells get infected with the parasite, the cell immediately sickles and are then eaten by a macrophage (part the body’s immune system). This protects them from malaria and keeps them from getting sick. However, if you do have sickle cell anemia, the malaria parasite is significantly more deadly because the few healthy blood cells you do have are killed by the parasite, leaving the individual with no functioning red blood cells (Luzzatto, 2012).
Many diseases are connected to the ecosystem. Malaria and Sickle cell anemia are found in Ethiopia, which has a very large range of ecosystems. This is mainly due to the large mountain range that runs through the country causing the elevations to jump from -125 m in the Afar region (lowest) to 4,620 m at the top of Ras Dashen Terara (Highest). These ecosystems can be categorized in many different ways depending on what is decided upon as being an important factor but, when using more traditional categorizing strategies for ecosystems, Ethiopia comes up with about ten. These include: Afroalpine and Subafroalpine, Montane dry forest and scrub, Montane moist forest, Acacia-Comiphora woodland, Combretum-Terminalia woodland, Lowland humid forest, Aquatic, wetland, Montane grassland, and desert and semidesert ecosystems (Diversity of Ecosystems). All of these ecosystems create a wide variety of places in which the malaria parasite and its vector the mosquito must survive. Because the mosquito is part of the ecosystem it will be affected by its ecosystem. This causes a correlation between malaria and the ecosystems it is found in.
The research done will be looking for a, possible correlation between malaria, sickle cell anemia and the ecosystems where these diseases are found. It will look at how malaria is connected to the temperature of the ecosystem, the ability for the malaria parasite to survive at different temperatures, herbal coverage, tree coverage, annual precipitation, wetlands, elevation, water bodies, and terrestrial ecoregions. The correlation between malaria, sickle cell anemia and each environmental factor will also be graphed and mathematically correlated.
It was hypothesized that, in certain areas in Ethiopia and other parts of Africa, malaria is affected by its surrounding ecosystems and that by looking at this relationship, outbreaks of malaria could possibly be prevented. It was also hypothesized that malaria and sickle cell anemia are directly correlated.