Malaria Control & Elimination

Introduction: Malaria is a life threatening disease caused by plasmodium parasites that are transmitted to people through the bite of an infected female anopheles mosquito. Malaria during pregnancy is dangerous to the mother and fetus. This study is aimed at determining the perception that pregnant women have towards insecticide treated mosquito nets. Insecticide Treated Nets (ITNs) are considered one of the most effective interventions against malaria and have been endorsed by the World Health Organization for the global anti-malaria efforts.

Methods: A cross sectional study was carried out at Buchi cinic from February 2022 to April, 2022. Semi structured questionnaires were used to collect data from consenting pregnant women. Data was entered on a computer and analyzed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) software version 26.

Results: A total number of 195 participants consented to taking part in this study and were interviewed. Majority of the participants were between the ages of 20-35 (60.2%). Most of the women (67.2%) had good knowledge, and majority (71.3%) had good attitude towards ITNs. Additionally the reasons for non-usage of ITNs were; discomfort, low mosquito activity/season and not enough room.

Conclusion: Majority of the participants in this study had good perception, good knowledge and good attitudes towards ITNs.

The aim of this manuscript is to bring our experience from Central African Republic (CAR), an endemic malarial area, during the COVID-19 pandemic. We present two cases treated at MINUSCA level 2+ hospital in Bangui, central African republic, during December 2021 and January 2022. COVID-19 and malaria infection were confirmed by appropriate tests. First case is man, 36 years old, who came to hospital, complaining about muscle pain, headache and fiver. Second case is a man, 41 years old, who came to hospital due to fiver, caught and malaise. Symptoms started to appear a day ago. We can conclude that in malaria endemic areas, in light of existing COVID-19 pandemia, based on similar symptoms characteristic of both diseases, it is essential to suspect both diseases and keep in mind the possibility of coinfection. Therefore a patient with uncharacteristic infectious symptoms should be tested for malaria, so as well for COVID-19 infection.

Modern scientists are interested in the use of theranostics. Researchers have attempted to take advantage of theranostics' potential applications in a variety of fields in recent years. The development of complex diagnostic and therapeutic agents is the goal of the broad science of theranostics. It is also established that these cutting-edge systems can bridge the bio distribution and site specificity gap between imaging molecules and therapeutic agents when combined into a single platform. Nanotechnology is currently utilized in theranostics to deliver APIs to absorption sites, resulting in increased bioavailability. Through the use of MNPs, theranostics have been proposed to be effective in a variety of diseases, particularly cancer, malaria, microbial diseases, and cardiovascular diseases, in addition to the benefits previously mentioned. In addition, theranostics are important for personalised medicine because they can be made by identifying biomarkers. MPNs are one of modern medicine's most promising diagnostic and therapeutic entities due to their adaptability. The biosynthesis of MNPs from medicinal plants has recently increased significantly, which is important for the development of theranostics. Natural bioactive compounds come from medicinal plants, which are a reliable and necessary source.