Malaria is one of the most devastating diseases among children, especially in tropical regions. In the last decades, health authorities have made tremendous efforts in controlling malaria even though it is still a major public health issue. We critically discuss below how malaria affects growth and the development of the brain among children as well as practical strategies for early intervention. Malaria is a disease caused by a parasite, plasmodium, that’s carried by mosquitoes. When a mosquito bites someone, it releases parasites into the skin. The parasites secrete chemicals that attract more mosquito bites. When these parasites enter the red bloodstream, they multiply, break down body cells, and feed on hemoglobin (a mineral that carries oxygen in the red blood cell). These actions by the parasites cause a child to develop red and pus-filled eyes as well as anemia.
Understanding Malaria and Its Effects on Children
Malaria is a zoonosis caused by the Plasmodium parasites that are transmitted through bites from the female Anopheles mosquitoes. The disease affects disproportionately people from sub-Saharan Africa, Southeast Asia, and parts of South America. The most vulnerable, especially to the usual form of malaria, are children under the age of five, whose immune systems have not yet been developed.
The severity of the disease varies widely, with mild symptoms of fever and chills at one end to serious complications, like cerebral malaria, anemia, and multi-organ failure, on the other, or a new outbreak of other diseases. Malaria can also affect child development by altering the course of cognitive, physical, and emotional development going forward.
How Malaria Affects Child Development
- Cognitive Development: There is now compelling evidence that malaria can decrease cognitive development in children. The high fever and the neurological complications from severe malaria impair proper brain functioning in children. The World Health Organization and other global agencies have reported that children with malaria experience learning deficits that can persist even six months after the illness.
- Physical growth: Chronic parasitaemias (presence of the parasite in the blood) can lead to poor physical growth in children. Repeated and prolonged infections that lead to bouts of fever and illness can impair nutritional uptake both directly and indirectly. The consequences of poor nutrition result in worsening effects on growth and physical development.
- Emotional and Behavioural Consequences: The burden of repeated illness and associated stress can impact emotional well-being, with children diagnosed with malaria often presenting to staff with anxiety and/or depression as well as changes in social interactions and quality of life.
- School Attendance and Performance: Aside from the direct burden of disease, malaria reduces school attendance and performance. The disease causes children to be out of school more often. Even when children attend school, they perform worse than their uninfected classmates because of cognitive impairments. The knock-on effects are worse educational outcomes and opportunities later on in life.
Strategies for Early Intervention
However, there are many ways to address how malaria affects child development from as young as one year old. Many of these effects can be partially stopped through early intervention. Here are some useful early intervention steps:
Preventative Measures:
The best way to fight malaria is to prevent it in the first place. ITNs (insecticide-treated bed nets) and IRS (indoor residual spraying) are two effective ways to stop malaria transmission. If children sleep under ITNs and/or live in places where they can avoid mosquitoes, malaria infections don’t stand a chance.
Early diagnosis and treatment:
Identification of the disease very early is important to prevent severe complications through rapid diagnostic tests and antimalarial treatments. Health systems should equip experts to be able to identify and treat early symptoms of the disease to prevent it from progressing and damaging the body.
Nutritional Support:
Many children who have malaria are also malnourished. Malnutrition can worsen malaria, so supplementing the diet with specially formulated foods can help malnourished children recover from malaria. Fortified cereals and nutrient-rich vegetables can also help malnourished children develop and grow.
Education Support:
Students affected by malaria will benefit from health health-related programs for students in school. It is important to identify and support children with malaria and other related health problems through school-based health programs. It is also vital to provide extra academic support and resources to affected students to minimize the disruption to their educational trajectory.
Community Awareness and Education:
Raising awareness about malaria and its effects on child development can result in increased community support and action to prevent and treat malaria in children. Education of communities about the importance of prevention, early treatment, and supportive care in children with malaria can be useful.
Integrated health and education programs:
These programs attempt to combine the immediate benefits of health services with programs that attempt to overcome the long-term educational consequences of the disease Combined health and educational services present- not least by integrating health and educational services programs, such as school-based health clinics and school care programs that attempt to combine the immediate benefits of health services with programs that attempt to overcome the long-term educational consequences of the disease.
Family support:
Evidence for interventions directed at the family suggests that support for families is necessary for a successful intervention. This might take the form of financial support, counseling, and other types of support during a malaria attack or other times when the family needs to step in orна concerned with taking care of a sick child.
Malaria continues to be a major factor when it comes to child development in affected areas. The impact of malaria on brain development can lead to lifelong cognitive differences, as well as negative effects on child motor and emotional development. Nonetheless, early-targeted interventions might help to reduce this impact and allow affected children to reach their full potential.
Prevention, early diagnosis and treatment, nutritional support, educational support, community awareness, integrated programs, and family support are all important components of a successful program to mitigate malaria-associated child development impairments. With its implementation, we can expect meaningful forward movement towards the health and development of children who have experienced or have been impacted by malaria disease.
