Prevention of Child Mortality in Africa

Here is part of my paper I wrote for my Design and Society Class. :)

Prevention of Child Mortality in Africa

            Everyday children die from the disease known as malaria and from consuming unsafe drinking water. “Most deaths result from five causes, or a combination of them: acute respiratory infections (ARI), diarrhoea, measles, malaria and malnutrition.” ("UNICEF") I am going to be focusing on Malaria and Diarrhoea. The company Vestergaard Frandsen S.A. has two designs that help in both causes of child mortality, one is the PermaNet mosquito net, and the other is the LifeStraw water-purification tool.

“Malaria is an infectious blood disease caused by a parasite that is transmitted from one human to another by the bite of infected Anopheles mosquitoes. Malaria symptoms, which often appear about 9 to 14 days after the infectious mosquito bite, include fever, headache, vomiting and other flu-like symptoms. If drugs are not available or the parasites are resistant to them, the infection can lead to coma, life-threatening anemia, and death.” ("Malaria No More")  The most deadly malaria is plasmodium falciparum, it is caused by a female mosquito that bites at night. Malaria is a preventable and treatable disease, though Malaria deaths have fallen by more than 25% since 2000, it still costs Africa at least $12 billion every year in lost productivity. Every minute, a child dies of Malaria and 85% of the victims are children. Overall the disease “killed 655,000 people in 2010. Ninety-one percent of malaria-related deaths occur in Africa, the majority of whom are children under 5 years of age.”  ("Malaria No More")

            “Ending deaths by malaria requires a comprehensive set of solutions including the distribution of mosquito nets, education in endemic countries, insecticide spraying and the availability of anti-malarial drugs. Research into vaccines and anti-malarial technologies are also crucial in the effort to eradicate the disease.” “Educating families, communities and governments on the ground in Africa about what causes malaria and how to prevent its spread is crucial to ending deaths. MNM and our partner organizations are working hard to empower local action by providing information about the effectiveness of nets, how to distribute and use nets, how to access treatment, the importance of spraying, how to protect pregnant women and more.”  ("Malaria No More") A designer must be socially responsible to make sure that the product has noticeable results, and that the design doesn’t do more harm than good in more ways than the welfare of the individual who uses it.

            One prevention method is having mosquito nets around beds, because the vast majority of transmissions occur at night. ("Malaria No More") “PermaNet is a long-lasting, insecticide-treated mosquito net commonly used in Africa by people who live among malarial mosquitoes. The net kills or repels mosquitoes for up to four years—up to five times longer than other normal treated nets—without losing effectiveness, even after twenty washes. Low re-treatment rates represent the biggest challenge in the fight against malaria, the infectious disease that kills more children than any other illness in Africa.” ("Design for the Other 90%") The PermaNet is designed by Vestergaard Frandsen, and manufactured by Vestergarrd Frandsen S.A., it is 100% polyester impregnated with deltamethrin (synthetic parathyroid). “Deltamethrin is a pyrethroid insecticide that kills insects on contact and through digestion.” ("EXTOXNET") “Pyrethroids are a group of man-made pesticides similar to the natural pesticide pyrethrum, which is produced by chrysanthemum flowers.” ("Illinois Department of Public Health")

Diseases like diarrhoea, dysentery, cholera, and typhoid can be carried in water that many people drink in Africa. The diseases are caused by germs carried in unsafe water, signs of a diarrhea disease is very loose stools, and is sometimes accompanied by a fever, headache, trembling, chills, weakness and vomiting. ("Pace Project")

            Vestergaard Frandsen S.A. has developed a personal mobile water- purifier for people in countries that don’t have easy access to potable and clean water. LifeStraw has proven to be effective against diseases that people can get from drinking unsafe water, such as typhoid, cholera, dysentery, and diarrhea, and can remove particles as small as fifteen microns. ("Design for the Other 90%") “An estimated 884 million people in the world, 37% of whom live in Sub-Saharan Africa, still use unimproved sources of drinking water¹.” ("Vestergaard Frandsen Disease Control Textiles") LifeStraw filters around 1000L of contaminated water, and removes a minimum of 99.9999% of waterborne bacteria and 99.9% of protozoan parasites, has a high flow rate and contains no chemicals. In addition to those, it does not require electrical power, or replacement parts, making it a smart choice for people in Africa who are affected by contaminated water. ("Vestergaard Frandsen Disease Control Textiles")