Author: ulick

Malaria. A disease of Poverty

In Malaria World this week there is a review ‘Global trends and burdens of neglected tropical diseases and malaria from 1990 to 2021: a systematic analysis of the Global Burden of Disease Study 2021’ by Chen et al. Its introduction has an interesting un-cited statement ‘Malaria, commonly referred to as the “disease of poverty”’. The […]

Malaria in China Disappeared after Cultural Revolution

An article in Malaria World this week, ‘Lessons from failure to success on malaria elimination in the Huai River Basin in China’ by Liu et al has interesting data of the rates of malaria from Yongcheng City and Guoyang County, Huai River Basin, China (1955-2023). What is very notable is how dramatically incidence declined from […]

Does Mosquito Control Reduce Incidence of Malaria?

Malaria World this week includes a reference to a protocol of a very interesting literature review to be carried out. ‘Integrated malaria vector control strategies and their effectiveness in sub-Saharan Africa: a systematic review protocol for interventional studies’ by Kombate et al will systematically retrieve published and grey literature from electronic databases and clinical trial […]

Poverty Best Indicator of Susceptibility to Malaria

‘Relationship between unimproved household sanitation facilities and malaria infection among under‑five children in Nigeria: insights from Malaria Indicator Survey 2021’, by Asifat et al, in this weeks Malaria World has interesting insights on factors associated with malaria. They found that the type of toilet facility, unimproved versus improved was strongly associated with occurrence of malaria, […]

PCR Detects More Asymptomatic Malaria Cases than RDT

Several weeks ago I addressed the issue of asymptomatic malaria and had also addressed it a year ago. I am not convinced that asymptomatic malaria is an illness. Most malaria researchers with their parasite model will argue that they are ‘cases’. However, I would love to see how many cases a method such as that […]

Bednets Increase Incidence of Malaria?

WHO and other organisations promote the use of insecticide treated bednets (ITN) to prevent malaria. The use of nets is based on the hypothesis that malaria is spread by mosquito bites and nets prevent bites. Insecticide treated nets not only prevent a mosquito from biting someone sleeping underneath but also kill any insect that lands […]

Protecting Pollinators

I am still unemployed in my search for engineering work. So, I am considering how I could find gainful employment exploiting my status as Planet Earth’s leading expert on the null hypothesis that mosquitos do not spread malaria. Direct research on the topic does not seem probable because all malaria funding is from businesses trying […]

Poor Sanitation and Sub-Standard Housing Most Important Factors for Malaria Occurrence

A study in Malaria World this week ‘Assessment of malaria treatment interventions: a critical analysis of government initiatives and causes of treatment failure at Port Loko Government Hospital, Sierra Leone’ by Sao Babawo et al has useful information on important factors for malaria occurrence and the ineffectiveness of the conventional treatments. Healthcare workers and women […]

I Was Dumbstruck with Imposter Syndrome

At a social gathering in Nairobi this week the subject of Malaria prophylaxis was raised and I said nothing. And it bothers me. A European, who does not take anything to prevent malaria in Nairobi, asked some Kenyans about getting malaria tablets for a trip to Mozambique. They discussed that tablets could be obtained and […]