SciDevNet – Muslim Science

Monkey malaria on the rise among humans in Malaysia

MuslimScience — Sun, 30 Nov 2014 18:53:45 +0000

Monkey malaria on the rise among humans in Malaysia

By Jan Piotrowski

Once only monkeys were suffering — now people are getting sick too. Monkey malaria, which is three times more severe than other forms of malaria, now accounts for two-thirds of human malaria cases in Malaysian Borneo, says Balbir Singh, director of the Malaria Research Centre at the University of Malaysia in Sarawak.Other South-East Asian countries such as Cambodia and Thailand are seeing infections too. Signs that monkey malaria may now be jumping directly between humans could lead to a further spike in cases, adds Singh.

The disease is caused by a parasite called Plasmodium knowlesi, transmitted by mosquitoes which usually feed on monkeys’ blood. The parasite was first described in 1932, and it was known that very occasionally people could get infected — for instance, when spending time in the jungle canopy being exposed to bites from mosquitoes that would normally prefer monkeys.

Effective strategies to prevent the spread of all forms of human malaria have cut global cases of the disease by a quarter since the beginning of the century, according to the WHO.

Over the past decade, human malaria cases in Malaysia plummeted due to a century-old malaria control programme, and the country has been hoping to eliminate the disease by 2020.

But in 2004 Singh and colleagues stumbled upon a complication to this goal.

They discovered that many more people were infected with monkey malaria than previously thought. About 58 per cent of malaria cases in the Kapit district of the Malaysian Borneo, the scientists found, were in fact due to the Plasmodium knowlesi.

And since 2008, cases have been soaring further. In 2013, 68 per cent of people with malaria in Malaysian Borneo had monkey malaria, says Singh.

A fall in local people’s immunity due to the success of eradication programmes for more common types of malaria could be to blame, he adds.

“If these mosquitoes are able to breed in human habitats then you suddenly have a problem.”

Janet Cox Singh, University of St Andrews

Another factor could be habitat loss, driving mosquitoes out of the jungle and increasing the chances of transmission to humans, says Janet Cox Singh, a malaria expert at the University of St Andrews, United Kingdom, who used to work with Balbir Singh. “If these mosquitoes are able to breed in human habitats then you suddenly have a problem,” she says.

The illness can be treated with standard malaria drugs, but it is harder to prevent than other forms of the disease: the mosquitoes that carry monkey malaria live outdoors, so insecticide-treated bed nets are useless.

Also, not many poor farmers are likely to buy expensive insect repellent, says Singh. And many may not be willing to wear long-sleeved clothing outdoors all the time, he adds – but these are the only effective ways to cut the risk of infection.

Balbir Singh presented his research at the annual meeting of the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene in New Orleans, United States, on 3 November.

This article was originally published on SciDev.Net. Read the original article.
Featured Image Credits: Flickr/Rainforest Action Network

Battling climate impacts in low-lying Maldives

MuslimScience — Wed, 04 Jun 2014 12:01:09 +0000

Going carbon neutral and protecting marine environment are key to fighting climate change in the tiny island nation, saysNalaka Gunawardene.

‘Raise your voice, not the sea level’ is the theme for this year’s World Environment Day, which falls on 5 June. The theme resonates with the United Nations designating 2014 as the International Year of Small Island Developing States (SIDS) [1], to express solidarity with the world’s 51 small island states, many of which are on the frontline of climate changeimpacts. [2]

The only one in South Asia, the Maldives, has long been vocal on the high vulnerability of such states.

The Maldives is the smallest Asian country in both population and land area: it packs around 350,000 people into just under 300 square km. Located in the Indian Ocean, south-west of India and Sri Lanka, it is an archipelago of 1,192 islands, of which only 200 are inhabited. With an average ground level of 1.5 metres above sea level, it is also the lowest country on the planet. [3]

An expected rise of two degrees Celsius in the world’s average temperatures during this century could seriously affect island states like the Maldives, which are least able to cope with extreme weather events and rising sea levels.

Sea level rise

A 2013 World Bank report envisages sea levels rising in South Asia by 60 to 80 cm if temperatures rise by two degrees Celsius by 2100, relative to 1986-2005. In a scenario of four degrees Celsius rise in global average temperatures by 2100, the sea-level rise could touch 100-115 cm by the 2090s.

As the planet warms, melting glaciers and polar ice caps increase the volume of seawater. Warmer waters also expand, taking more space. According to the UN Environment Programme (UNEP), the global sea level has already risen by about 10 to 25 cm during the last 100 years.

“It is imperative to protect the coral reefs, sea grass, coastal vegetation and wetlands to mitigate the adverse impacts of climate change.”

Ali Rilwan, Bluepeace

Sea level rise is a gradual process, not a single event like a tsunami. Land first gets flooded temporarily during high tide or stormy weather. Salt intrusion can render soil and groundwater unusable well before permanent inundation happens.

The Maldivians saw early evidence of this in April 1987, when the highest tidal waves in memory flooded a third of the capital Malé, washing away reclaimed land and causing widespread damage. Later that year, the then Maldives President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom raised the issue at the UN General Assembly, and appealed for help to nations like his.

In 1989, he convened the first global small island states conference on sea level rise: the beginning of joint advocacy that was later picked up by the Alliance of Small Island States, AOSIS, formed in 1990. [5]

At the time, Gayoom told me in an interview, ”A mere rise of one foot in sea level would mean a great deal to us. Storm action and wave action can lead to erosion of the land, salt intrusion and loss of agricultural land, and flooding.”

His successor, Mohamed Nasheed, who took over in late 2008, called the plight of his people a human rights issue and a clear threat to national security. In a clever communications move, he once held a cabinet meeting underwater to illustrate what could unfold in a few decades.

Carbon neutral plan

At the policy level, Nasheed announced in 2009 that the Maldives would become carbon neutral in a decade. The ambitious plan involved phasing out fossil fuel use with renewable energies (solar, wind and biomass), improving energy efficiency, and an integrated solid waste management system. [6]

“We understand that our becoming carbon-neutral will not save the world, but at least we would have the comfort of knowing that we did the right thing,” Nasheed said later that year.

Nasheed told me in an interview in 2009: “Traditionally, we’ve always thought that adaptation represents physical structures — revetments, embankments, breakwaters, etc. But the most important adaptation issue is good governance and, therefore, consolidating democracy is very important for adaptation.” [7]

Political storm

But after Nasheed resigned in February 2012, the Maldives has experienced considerable political unrest. Preoccupied with uncertainties of the present, Maldivians have not had much time to reflect on their long-term survival.

Ali Rilwan, executive director of Bluepeace, the country’s oldest environmental organisation, says his group is unclear where plans for carbon neutrality stand today. “Even (the current) President Abdulla Yameen’s government has not mentioned a word about Maldives (going) carbon neutral by 2020.”

Meanwhile, in May 2014, Maldives minister of environment and energy, Thoriq Ibrahim, pledged to ‘minimise the country’s dependence on fossil fuels’ and called for increased investment in clean energy. [8]

Adaptation strategies

An innovative and rigorous adaptation strategy that includes healthier, climate-resilient ecosystems is the best way forward for Maldivians.

Bluepeace advocates ecosystem-based adaptation for the short and medium term. That entails conserving terrestrial, freshwater and marine ecosystems as well as restoring those degraded.

Of particular concern is the health of coral reefs on which the nation’s key economic activity of tourism depends critically. Coral reefs are also the first line of defence against wave action and storm surges. The warming seas triggered large scale coral bleaching in 1998 and 2010, causing much damage.

“It is imperative to protect the coral reefs, sea grass, coastal vegetation and wetlands to mitigate the adverse impacts of climate change,” says Rilwan. [9]

Ibrahim Naeem, director of the SAARC (South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation) Coastal Zone Management Centre, located in Malé, agrees. Adopting integrated coastal zone management (ICZM), a scientific methodology to balance competing demands, can help countries to reconcile competing demands and many pressures on the coast.

For the longer term, elevating entire islands is an option, albeit a very expensive one. An example is the reclaimed island of Hulhumalé that stands two metres above sea level.

Can the Maldivians adapt fast enough to outpace the rising seas? Despite their passionate climate advocacy for over a quarter century, that remains uncertain.

Nalaka Gunawardene is a Colombo-based science writer and journalist who has covered climate stories since the late 1980s. He is also a trustee of SciDev.Net. The views in this column are his own.

Source: SciDev

localhost/muslim’s List of Twenty Most Influential Women in Science in the Islamic World

MuslimScience — Mon, 13 Jan 2014 06:51:05 +0000

localhost/muslim has the pleasure of presenting to you, the first ever List of ‘Top-20 Most Influential Women in Science in the Islamic World’. These are truly the unsung and little known heroines of the Islamic World whose contribution to the development of science and innovation of the Islamic World is no less than any others…

Our list encompasses 20 Remarkable Women who have performed amazing feats during the course of their careers. These pertain to all five main regions of the Islamic World, namely, South East Asia, South and Central Asia, Gulf and Persia, Maghreb and North Africa, and North America and Europe and across at least 6 disciplines.

The list is divided into 3 Eras of Major Influence. These are:

The Pioneers (4 Scientists) – Period: Pre-1980 to 2000+

The Shapers (8 Scientists) – Period: 2000-2020+

The Emerging Champions (8 Scientists) – Period: 2020-2040+

Those on our list have been selected after a careful evaluation of relative achievements and accomplishments of these individuals. We have excluded some truly remarkable Royal Champions of Science in the Islamic World and attempted to focus on ordinary women who balance life with career and do justice to both.

Look out for individual profiles and achievements of these Women of Substance starting tomorrow. Join our facebook page (/localhost/muslim) and twitter (@MuslimScience) to learn more about these amazing women.

The names of Women on this list is:

The Pioneers

1. Dr. Sameera Moussa – The Atoms for Peace Champion, Egypt

2. Prof. Nesreen Ghaddar, FIAS (‘07) – The Shaper of Energy Future, Kuwait and Lebanon

3. Professor Bina Shaheen Siddiqui, Fellow–TWAS (‘89) – The Plants Scientist, Pakistan

4. Professor Samira Ibrahim Islam – The Drug Safety Advocate, Saudi Arabia

The Shapers

5. Prof. Rabia Hussain, FIAS (‘08) – The Infectious Diseases Specialist, Pakistan

6. Prof. Khatijah Mohd Yusoff, FIAS (‘08) – The Viralogist, Malaysia

7. Dr Ismahane Elouafi – The Food Safety Champion, Morocco and Canada

8. Prof. Ilham Al Qaradawi – The Physicist, Qatar

9. Dr. Sania Nishtar – The Policywonk, Pakistan

10. Prof. Dr Nuket Yetis – The Science Administrator, Turkey

11. Dr. Hessa Al Jaber – The Policymaker, Qatar

12. Ameenah Gurib-Fakim, FIAS (‘09) – The Herbalist, Mauritius

The Emerging Champions

13. Dr. Hina Chaudhry – The Cardiac Magician, Pakistan and United States

14. Dr. Hayat Al Sindi – The Innovator, Saudi Arabia

15. Dr. Maryam Matar – The Humanitarian, United Arab Emirates

16. Professor Adeeba Kamarulzaman – The Taboo Buster, Malaysia

17. Maryam Mirzakhani – The Esoteric Mathematician, Iran

18. Dr. Ghada Amer – The Power Woman, Egypt

19. Dr. Rana Dajani – The Islamic – Feminist, Jordan

20. Dr. Rim Al Turkamani – The Accidental Historian, Syria and United Kingdom

Click here to download high resolution image of the Women in Science Infographic (here)