MALARIA

Malaria can be fatal disease for human beings. Approximately 300 million people around the world get infected with malaria every year. More than 2 million people die every year due to malaria disease.

Malaria is caused by a protozoan parasite Plasmodium. This disease   spreads through the bite of an insect vector- the female Anopheles mosquito feeds upon plant juice.

The name Malaria was proposed by Macculochin 1827. C.L.A. Laveran in 1880, a French physician, discovered the Malarial parasite –  Plasmodium  in the blood of a malaria patient.He received Nobel prize for this discovery in 1907.

Main symptoms of malaria include headache, nausea, muscular pain and high fever. Each malarial attack is of 6 to 10 hours duration and consists of the three stages:

1.    Cold stage, feeling of extreme cold and shivers

2.    Hot stage, high fever, faster respiration and heartbeat and

3.    Sweating stage, i.e., due to profuse sweating, temperature of the body goes down to normal.

Even after the patient is cured of malaria, the patient feel weak and becomes anemic. Malaria may also secondarily cause enlargement of spleen and liver. Presence of malarial parasite can be checked by blood test.

PREVENTION-

Malaria is an infectious disease. It can spread from an infected person to a healthy person (host) by the bite of female Anopheles mosquitoes (vectors). The only way to prevent malaria is to take precaution against mosquito bites.

 We can protect ourselves from the bite of mosquitoes by following methods:

1.    Wire- gauge should be used on doors and windows of houses to prevent entry of mosquitoes.

2.    Insect- repellents (e.g., Odomos) should be used to prevent mosquito- bite.

3.    One should sleep under mosquito nets.

4.    Mosquito larvae can be killed by sprinkling kerosene oil on large- sized water bodies. Some larvivorous fishes such as Gambusia, minnows or trouts or birds (e.g., ducks) can be introduced in water bodies. These animals feed on mosquito larvae and hence the population of mosquito is checked. This is called biological control of mosquito.

5.    Adult mosquitoes can be killed by spraying insecticides (e.g., BHC, malathion) on the walls of human dwellings. Insecticides are chemical poisons (toxicants), hence, regulation of mosquito population by them is called chemical control. The insecticide DDT is not used in the chemical control of mosquitoes, as it persists in the environment for much longer time and can cause toxicity by accumulating in the body of fishes, birds and humans through food chain.

6.    The breeding grounds should be destroyed. Thus, the ditches, puddles or swamps around human dwellings should be drained or filled. We should not allow the collection of water in any uncovered containers such as water tank, pot, cooler, flower pot, discarded tires, etc.

Ø Recently Allan Porter and his team produced a genetically engineered aquatic bacteria at National Institute of Singapore. When mosquito larvae feed on these bacteria, they get killed by the toxic substance produced by these bacteria. This can prove to be an effective biological control method against malaria.

CONTROL-

A drug named Quinine, which is extracted from the bark of Cinchona tree, is used to treat a person suffering from malaria. This drug kills most of the stages of malarial parasite. There are certain other drugs (medicines) which should be taken on the advice of doctor. Scientists are trying hard to develop an antimalarial vaccine.

Ø Central Drug Research Institute (CDRI), Lucknow has developed an anti- cerebral malaria drug called – Arteether. This drug is extracted from a herbaceous plant Artemisia annua belonging to family Asteraceae.

 the ROLE OF STUDENTs IN BUILDING nation

It is a well-known fact that the youth of any country is a great asset. They are indeed the future of the country and represent it at every level. The role of youths in nation-building is more important than you might think. In other words, the intelligence and work of the youth will take the country on the pathway of success. As every citizen is equally responsible, the youth is too. They are the building blocks of a country.

Relation between ‘Student’ and ‘Nation’:

Previously, we have known that people can make their nation great with their thinking, dreaming, achieving. People are grown trees whereas students are seeds. A good seed gives a good tree, good tree gives good fruit. A student becomes a good citizen; a good citizen makes a better society.
The formula for great nation is “Good student–> virtuous society–>great nation”. A good student forms a virtuous society means which is graft-less, politically balanced, economically standard and stands on moral grounds. The nation with integrity stands forever.

The students are prospective heirs of nation. So they should be well equipped with sound moral, political and economical views. They are the pillars on which beautiful edifices will be built. Students must have these qualities- a) Desire to win b) Courage to do things c) Wisdom to understand and unravel the problems.

 The role of students in development of country

Students are vital organs of nation. They are future citizens, who can become “Nation’s most needed” categories i.e. producers, protectors, philosophers etc. Producers produce the needed items which may be related to food, electronic, engineering arenas etc. Protectors protect the nation. Philosophers guide the nation.

Apart from this, the student must play these acts of life to make the best nation.

1. Student as a Human Resource:

A nation for its existence basically needs food, cloth and shelter. Recently we have come to know that there is something left behind which is to be considered i.e. human resources. Every student must become a human resource to strengthen society and nation. Let us see the north-eastern countries which had turned into human resource countries.

A) Japan: It is a small country which may equal to two states of our country. It is a victim of “Little boy and Fat man”(Atomic bombs USA hurled on Hiroshima and Nagasaki) and lost 3.1 million people in Second World War. So many were laid on deathbed and lived devoid of organs. Even though, it is developed country because of its human resources who are maestros in making robots. Now Japan is international shop for robots.

B) China: It became supreme in the field of engineering. Recent inventions and masonry constructions shocked the world. Recent masonry constructions-A 36km Bay bridge on the sea, Tarmac road on Everest, Three Gorges dam etc. It became the factory of world. Nokia sets, Apple goods are manufactured here. It is just because their population turned into human resources.

2. Student as an Invigilator of Society:

Student must invigilate his environment. He must be active in every field. He should participate in politics also. According to Plato, “Education should be given up to 25 years at the elementary level and up to 35 years at the higher level. This is to cure mental malady by mental medicine. “If a student does not participate in every field, it will be turned into a river which has no flow. It will be house for algae, frogs and formidable insects.

The trend of Indian politics has turned into house politics. Indian democracy became ochlocracy and kleptocracy. A student must realize his onus to safeguard the nation. Ancient Greek model is an excellent model. Every young person must join the army. He has to do his service until 35 years. Then, he becomes a politician afterwards. When he retires, he becomes clergy. This is direct democracy. Student must know the possibilities and have influence on them.

3.Student as a Man of Erudition:

A student should get erudition through discipline. He should be helpful to the nation. He is one who can learn, challenge and achieve. A student must be a man of action rather than a dreamer. A student is young soldier who safeguards his nation. When he gets erudition, then only he can challenge ordeals. That is why IAS, IPS examinations are based on erudition.

4. Student as a Selfless Person:

Our nation became corrupted because of selfishness. There is no justice without graft. This should be revoked. For every innovation, real person behind it should be honored. A student must be selfless and teach and lead other students. This forms a group which can lead to a better society which gives best nation.

5.Student as a Bridge:

Student must be a bridge between present generation and past generation. He must take suggestions from pre-generation and guide the post generation. This will help to secure the knowledge and growth of nation.

Conclusion:

Leaders are not borne, but they are made. For this, student life is appropriate stage. Hitler, who harbored hatred towards Jews in his student life, made him notorious. The persons who had hard-working as weapon in their student life, they were turned into great personalities. Student is a vital organ for the development of society and nation. He has to incorporate all the above mentioned principles in life.

 The nation that destroys its soil, destroys itself

~ Franklin D. Roosevelt

What is soil degradation-

Soil degradation is the decline in soil condition caused by its improper use or poor management, usually for agricultural, industrial or urban purposes.

Causes of soil degradation-

The loss of farm land has been caused by a number of factors,

many or most of which are tied to human development. The primary causes are:

·         Deforestation

·         Overgrazing

·         Overexploitation for fuel wood

·         Agricultural activities

·         Increased flooding

·         Industrialization.

The following figure illustrates the relative sizes of the causal mechanism as a function of region

          On the global basis, the soil degradation is caused primarily by overgrazing (35%), agricultural activities (28%), deforestation (30%), over exploitation of land to produce fuel wood (7%), and industrialization (4%).

The main reasons for unproductiveness or degradation of soils are as follows:

1. Nutrient disorder

2. Water-logging

3. Salinity

4. Erosion

5. Biological degradation

6. Other causes

Impact of Soil Degradation:

The following are the impacts of soil degradation:

1. Degradation leads to reduction in crop yield in the affected lands and a possible decline in cropping intensity.

2. In extreme cases, soil becomes unfit for cultivation.

3. Silting of drainage, canals, rivers and reservoirs results in increased floods and droughts.

4. In some cases farmers use more fertilizer inputs to compensate reduced soil productivity while in other cases, they use excess fertilizers.

5. The rate of siltation in many water reservoirs are significantly high. According to Central Water Commission (1991), nearly 11 per cent of the total capacity of water reservoirs has been silted.

6. Soil degradation has several adverse impacts on the environment. It affects global climate through alterations in water cycle and energy balances and disruptions of carbon, nitrogen and sulfur cycles.

The estimated annual loss of different crops due to soil degradation ranges from Rs. 89 billion to 232 billion which represent a loss of 11 to 26 per cent yield.

Control of erosion-

(Adapted from ACS Distance Education 2009)

As erosion is caused by the effects of wind and water, control methods are generally aimed at modifying these effects. The following list describes some of the most common control methods:

·         Prevention of soil detachment by the use of cover materials such as plants.

·         Crop production techniques (e.g. fertilizing with organic fertilizer), to improve soil characteristics and promote plant growth and hence surface cover.

·         Ploughing to destroy rills and contour planting to create small dams across a field, to retard or impound water flow.

·         Filling small gullies with mechanical equipment or conversion into a protected or grassed waterway.

·         Terracing of slopes to reduce rates of runoff.

·         Prevention of erosion in the first place by careful selection of land use practices.

·         Conservation tillage methods.

·         Armoring of channels with rocks, tires, concrete and timber to prevent bank erosion.

·         The use of wind breaks to modify wind action.

·         Ploughing into clod sizes too big to be eroded, or ploughing into ridges.

Conclusion-

People can be a major asset in reversing a trend towards degradation. However, they need to be healthy and politically and economically motivated to care for the land as subsistence agriculture, poverty, and illiteracy can lead important causes of land and environmental degradation especially in Zambia which has inadequate laws and policies aimed directly at preventing land degradation.