Biomedical subjects

Pia Malaney

Publications and source records attributed to Pia Malaney.

3 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2004

A global index representing the stability of malaria transmission.

To relate stability of malaria transmission to biologic characteristics of vector mosquitoes throughout the world, we derived an index representing the contribution of regionally dominant vector mosquitoes to the force of transmission. This construct incorporated published estimates describing the proportion of blood meals taken from human hosts, daily survival of the vector, and duration of the transmission season and of extrinsic incubation. The result of the calculation was displayed globally on a 0.5 degrees grid. We found that these biologic characteristics of diverse vector mosquitoes interact with climate to explain much of the regional variation in the intensity of transmission. Due to the superior capacity of many tropical mosquitoes as vectors of malaria, particularly those in sub-Saharan Africa, antimalaria interventions conducted in the tropics face greater challenges than were faced by formerly endemic nations in more temperate climes.

Animals↗

PubMed2004

The malaria gap.

Although the correlation between malaria and poverty is apparent, the nature of the linkages in terms of directions and mechanisms of causation is less so, and different methodologic approaches provide widely divergent perspectives concerning the impact of the disease. Certain macroeconomic studies find that in highly endemic countries, malaria may be responsible for reducing economic growth by more than one percentage point a year. Microeconomic studies, which aggregate the cost per case, find a considerably smaller impact, generally less than one percent of annual per capita gross domestic product. The large gap between these estimates suggests economic externalities associated with malaria that make the burden much greater than the sum of the costs of individual cases. Both the magnitude of the burden and the channels through which malaria affects reduces income are important for policymakers. We explore this gap, examining diverse mechanisms through which malaria can affect long-term economic development.

Africa↗

PubMed2002

The economic and social burden of malaria.

Where malaria prospers most, human societies have prospered least. The global distribution of per-capita gross domestic product shows a striking correlation between malaria and poverty, and malaria-endemic countries also have lower rates of economic growth. There are multiple channels by which malaria impedes development, including effects on fertility, population growth, saving and investment, worker productivity, absenteeism, premature mortality and medical costs.

Commerce↗