Febrile illness diagnostics and the malaria-industrial complex: a socio-environmental perspective
Abstract Background Global prioritization of single-disease eradication programs over improvements to basic diagnostic capacity in the Global South have left the world unprepared for epidemics of chikungunya, Ebola, Zika, and whatever lies on the horizon. The medical establishment is slowly realizin...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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BMC
2016-11-01
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| Series: | BMC Infectious Diseases |
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| Online Access: | http://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s12879-016-2025-x |
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| author | Justin Stoler Gordon A. Awandare |
| author_facet | Justin Stoler Gordon A. Awandare |
| author_sort | Justin Stoler |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Background Global prioritization of single-disease eradication programs over improvements to basic diagnostic capacity in the Global South have left the world unprepared for epidemics of chikungunya, Ebola, Zika, and whatever lies on the horizon. The medical establishment is slowly realizing that in many parts of sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), particularly urban areas, up to a third of patients suffering from acute fever do not receive a correct diagnosis of their infection. Main body Malaria is the most common diagnosis for febrile patients in low-resource health care settings, and malaria misdiagnosis has soared due to the institutionalization of malaria as the primary febrile illness of SSA by international development organizations and national malaria control programs. This has inadvertently created a “malaria-industrial complex” and historically obstructed our complete understanding of the continent’s complex communicable disease epidemiology, which is currently dominated by a mélange of undiagnosed febrile illnesses. We synthesize interdisciplinary literature from Ghana to highlight the complexity of communicable disease care in SSA from biomedical, social, and environmental perspectives, and suggest a way forward. Conclusion A socio-environmental approach to acute febrile illness etiology, diagnostics, and management would lead to substantial health gains in Africa, including more efficient malaria control. Such an approach would also improve global preparedness for future epidemics of emerging pathogens such as chikungunya, Ebola, and Zika, all of which originated in SSA with limited baseline understanding of their epidemiology despite clinical recognition of these viruses for many decades. Impending ACT resistance, new vaccine delays, and climate change all beckon our attention to proper diagnosis of fevers in order to maximize limited health care resources. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-23T04:42:06Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-6a460343175b4ab7af46f8ebe1780e86 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1471-2334 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-23T04:42:06Z |
| publishDate | 2016-11-01 |
| publisher | BMC |
| record_format | Article |
| series | BMC Infectious Diseases |
| spelling | doaj.art-6a460343175b4ab7af46f8ebe1780e862022-12-21T17:59:46ZengBMCBMC Infectious Diseases1471-23342016-11-011611910.1186/s12879-016-2025-xFebrile illness diagnostics and the malaria-industrial complex: a socio-environmental perspectiveJustin Stoler0Gordon A. Awandare1Department of Geography and Regional Studies, University of MiamiWest African Centre for Cell Biology of Infectious Pathogens, University of GhanaAbstract Background Global prioritization of single-disease eradication programs over improvements to basic diagnostic capacity in the Global South have left the world unprepared for epidemics of chikungunya, Ebola, Zika, and whatever lies on the horizon. The medical establishment is slowly realizing that in many parts of sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), particularly urban areas, up to a third of patients suffering from acute fever do not receive a correct diagnosis of their infection. Main body Malaria is the most common diagnosis for febrile patients in low-resource health care settings, and malaria misdiagnosis has soared due to the institutionalization of malaria as the primary febrile illness of SSA by international development organizations and national malaria control programs. This has inadvertently created a “malaria-industrial complex” and historically obstructed our complete understanding of the continent’s complex communicable disease epidemiology, which is currently dominated by a mélange of undiagnosed febrile illnesses. We synthesize interdisciplinary literature from Ghana to highlight the complexity of communicable disease care in SSA from biomedical, social, and environmental perspectives, and suggest a way forward. Conclusion A socio-environmental approach to acute febrile illness etiology, diagnostics, and management would lead to substantial health gains in Africa, including more efficient malaria control. Such an approach would also improve global preparedness for future epidemics of emerging pathogens such as chikungunya, Ebola, and Zika, all of which originated in SSA with limited baseline understanding of their epidemiology despite clinical recognition of these viruses for many decades. Impending ACT resistance, new vaccine delays, and climate change all beckon our attention to proper diagnosis of fevers in order to maximize limited health care resources.http://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s12879-016-2025-xFeverMalariaCommunicable diseaseDiagnosticsAfrica |
| spellingShingle | Justin Stoler Gordon A. Awandare Febrile illness diagnostics and the malaria-industrial complex: a socio-environmental perspective BMC Infectious Diseases Fever Malaria Communicable disease Diagnostics Africa |
| title | Febrile illness diagnostics and the malaria-industrial complex: a socio-environmental perspective |
| title_full | Febrile illness diagnostics and the malaria-industrial complex: a socio-environmental perspective |
| title_fullStr | Febrile illness diagnostics and the malaria-industrial complex: a socio-environmental perspective |
| title_full_unstemmed | Febrile illness diagnostics and the malaria-industrial complex: a socio-environmental perspective |
| title_short | Febrile illness diagnostics and the malaria-industrial complex: a socio-environmental perspective |
| title_sort | febrile illness diagnostics and the malaria industrial complex a socio environmental perspective |
| topic | Fever Malaria Communicable disease Diagnostics Africa |
| url | http://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s12879-016-2025-x |
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