Malaria Kills 21 People In Flood-Hit Somalia, Toll Climbs To 141
Pastor Dale Morgan
Malaria Kills 21 People In Flood-Hit Somalia, Toll Climbs To 141*
Mogadishu (AFP) Dec 11, 2006
At least 21 people have died in southern and central Somalia after an
outbreak of malaria, sparked by heavy flooding, bringing the death toll
to 141, officials said Monday. The patients, who included children, died
over the past two weeks in two regions, where numerous waterborne
diseases have been reported since torrential rains started pounding the
country late October.
"Some 11 people, most of them young children, have died as a result of
malaria," said Mohamed Aweys, a health worker in Bariire township in
Middle Shabelle region.
"Many people here have contracted the disease because they do not have
nets to keep away mosquitos teeming in flood waters," he told AFP.
Local officials said 10 other children died in Buqaqable town, 90
kilometres (55 miles) southwest of the central town of Beledweyne, over
the same period.
"An outbreak of malaria in this region kills almost everyday," said
Sheikh Murshid Sheikh Mustafa, the district commissioner for Buqaqable.
"Over the last two weeks, at least 10 children have died and we fear
that more will die in the coming days," he explained.
Flooding in Somalia has displaced at least 336,000 people and affected
nearly a million others, but humanitarian operations have been hampered
by fears of an all-out war between the government and the Islamic militia.
The new toll brings to at least 335 the number of people killed by
floods in Ethiopia, Kenya and Somalia, all of which been hit by
torrential rains not expected to end until next month.
Damage in the three nations has been exacerbated by the fact that they
were still recovering from a scorching drought that had parched soil
across vast swathes of land, leaving the earth unable to absorb the rain
water.
The resultant displacement, cramped living conditions and lack of water
and sanitation, means between 1.5 and 1.8 million people are at risk
from diseases such as cholera, measles and malaria, aid agencies say.
Source: Agence France-Presse
related report
Genetic Map Offers New Tool For Malaria Research
Boston, MA (SPX) Dec 12 - An international research team announced today
the completion of a genome-wide map that charts the genetic variability
of the human malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum. Published in the
December 10 advance online edition of Nature Genetics, the study reveals
striking variation within the pathogen's genome, including an initial
catalog of nearly 47,000 specific genetic differences among parasites
sampled worldwide.
These differences lay the foundation for dissecting the functions of
important parasite genes and for tracing the global spread of malaria.
Led by scientists at the Harvard School of Public Health and the Broad
Institute of MIT and Harvard, together with researchers in Senegal, the
work has already unearthed novel genes that may underlie resistance to
current drugs against the disease.
"Malaria remains a significant threat to global public health, driven in
part by the genetic changes in the parasite that causes the disease,"
said senior author Dyann Wirth, a professor and chairman of the
department of immunology and infectious diseases at the Harvard School
of Public Health and the co-director of the Broad Institute's Infectious
Disease Initiative. "This study gives us one of the first looks at
genetic variation across the entire malaria parasite genome - a critical
step toward a comprehensive genetic tool for the malaria research
community."
Plasmodium falciparum - the deadliest of the four parasites that cause
malaria in humans - kills one person every 30 seconds, mostly children
living in Africa. Despite decades of research, the genetic changes that
enable it to escape the body's natural defenses and to overcome malaria
drugs remain largely unknown.
To gain a broad picture of genetic variability - worldwide and
genome-wide - the scientists analyzed more than 50 different P.
falciparum samples from diverse geographic locations. This includes the
complete genome sequencing of two well-studied samples as well as
extensive DNA analyses of 16 additional isolates. The work is one of
three large-scale studies of the parasite's DNA that appear together in
Nature Genetics, and it represents a collaborative effort among Boston
area researchers and a scientific team led by Souleymane Mboup, a
professor at the Cheikh Anta Diop University in Senegal where malaria is
endemic. "We are grateful for the contributions of our colleagues in
Senegal. They are a crucial part of this collaboration," said Wirth.
By comparing the DNA sequences to each other and to the P. falciparum
genome sequenced in 2002, the researchers uncovered extensive
differences, including ~ 47,000 single letter changes called single
nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). This represents more than double the
expected level of diversity in the parasite's DNA. Although there are
probably many more SNPs to be found, this initial survey - like the
recent HapMap project in humans - provides a launching point for future
systematic efforts to identify parasite genes that are essential to malaria.
"The roles of most of the malaria parasite's genes are still not known,"
said first author Sarah Volkman, a research scientist at the Harvard
School of Public Health. "An important application of this new tool will
be in pinpointing the genes that are vital to the development and spread
of malaria."
One of the tool's strengths is its ability to reveal evolutionary
differences among parasites. This information can shed light on the
genes responsible for malaria drug resistance - a major obstacle to
adequate control of the disease. Using the genetic map to compare
parasites exposed to different anti-malarial drugs, the scientists
identified a novel region that is strongly implicated in resistance to
the drug pyrimethamine, and also confirmed a region of the genome known
to be involved in chloroquine drug resistance.
"The same genetic principles used to study human evolution can provide
important clues about malaria," said first author Pardis Sabeti, a
postdoctoral fellow at the Broad Institute. "This tool has already
yielded insights into the genetic changes that correlate with different
drug treatments, pointing us to genes that may contribute to drug
resistance."
The map can also define the genetic landscapes of different parasite
populations. Applying it to parasites from various continents, the
scientists discovered greater DNA variability among P. falciparum
samples from Africa relative to those from Asia and the Americas. This
knowledge guides the selection of genetic markers to track the
transmission of distinct parasites, particularly ones that are virulent
or drug resistant. It also lays the groundwork for connecting parasite
genes with traits that vary geographically and bolster malaria's
foothold in many parts of the world.
"Genomic tools have largely been applied to first-world diseases up to
now. This project underscores the power and importance of applying them
to the devastating diseases of the developing world," said Eric Lander,
one of the study's authors and the director of the Broad Institute. "By
joining forces among scientists in the U.S., Africa and elsewhere, it
should be possible to rapidly reveal the genetic variation in malaria
around the world. Knowing the enemy will be a crucial step in fighting it."