Author: ulick

In MalariaWorld this week my eye was drawn to the strangely titled ‘Musings from a Vectosaur: Malaria in 2026’ by Manuel F. Lluberas. Vectosaur seems to be a word invented by Lluberas from the physics term vector meaning a quantity that has both magnitude and direction (that is often applied to insects that supposedly spread […]

A study in MalariaWorld this week reported there was an increased risk of malaria infection in undernourished children compared to children with an adequate nutritional status. ‘Malaria and malnutrition in children under the Seasonal Malaria Chemoprevention (SMC) coverage in the health district of Nanoro, Burkina Faso’ by Compaore et al found that malnourished children were […]

We examine MalariaWorld and other sources each week looking for interesting studies, especially those that look at the effect of poverty, nutrition, water quality and sanitation on the occurrence and severity of malaria. So  we were drawn to ‘Socioeconomic and household water management determinants of malaria and other vector-borne disease prevention in Urban Gujarat, India’ […]

Two studies in MalariaWorld this week, in Congo and Ghana, clearly suggest that poverty is the key factor linked to the occurrence of malaria in children < 5 years. And Klu et al in the Ghana study interestingly found that children who did not sleep under ITNs had lower odds of malaria (aOR = 0.52) […]

This week our attention was drawn to a tweet by Kenyan lawyer and politician Paul Muite (@Paul_Muite) accusing the Gates Foundation of releasing genetically modified mosquitos in Nairobi. The claim was debunked by Gates foundation supposedly stating “We do not release mosquitoes, operate laboratories that do so, or run vector-control activities in Nairobi or anywhere […]

MalariaWorld this week reports a study ‘Determinants of malaria infection across different districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan: a cross-sectional study’ by Haq et al.  The study highlights the multifactorial nature of malaria transmission in KP, Pakistan, with strong associations found between malaria infection and various determinants. Key risk factors identified include younger age, male gender, […]

In my LinkedIn feed this week there was a posting by Nigerian pharmacy assistant Precious Ugwa about undiagnosed customers requesting malaria treatments. This reminded me of the impression I got in Kenya that when people are ill, the first illness they suspect is malaria. One time when I was unwell my friend was encouraging me […]

In MalariaWorld this week there is a link to CBC Youtube Video entitled ‘Malaria vaccine rollout undercut by losses to global health funding’. The highlight of the video is a recent study that found that children who received three doses of Mosquirix™ (RTS,S/AS01) manufactured by GSK (Glaxo Smith Kline) were less likely to suffer from […]

A recent story in Techpoint Africa is a good example of how the scourge of malaria is used to justify new technologies. ‘Sora raises $2.5 million additional seed to eradicate malaria in Africa with AI-powered drones’ by Bolu Abiodun discusses the fundraising by Japanese start-up Sora Technology, that uses drones (see picture) and artificial intelligence […]

In MalariaWorld this week there is reference to the major public health challenge of Malaria in sub-Saharan Africa, and how its burden may be influenced by access to clean water, sanitation, and childhood vitamin A supplementation. ‘Investigating the relationship between malaria incidence and public health infrastructure in sub-Saharan Africa’ by Shin is in publication by […]