Tropical Medicine

The first half of the 20^th century witnessed the virtual conquest of three of the major diseases of the tropics: malaria, yellow fever and leprosy. At the turn of the century, as for the preceding two centuries, quinine was the only known drug to have any appreciable effect on malaria. With the increasing development of tropical countries and rising standards of public health, it became obvious that quinine was not completely satisfactory. Intensive research between World Wars I and II indicated that several synthetic compounds were more effective.

The first of these to become available, in 1934, was quinacrine (known as mepacrine, Atabrine or Atebrin). In World War II in full-filled the highest expectations and helped to reduce disease among Allied troops in Africa, Southeast Asia and the Far East. A number of other effective antimalarial drugs subsequently became available, the insecticide DDT among them. The lethal effect of DDT on the mosquito, its relative cheapness, and its ease of use on a widespread scale provided an intensive world-wide campaign, sponsored by the World Health Organization, bringing malaria under control.

Yellow fever is another mosquito-transmitted disease, and the prophylactic value of modem insecticides in its control was almost as great as in the case of malaria. The forest reservoirs of the virus present a more difficult problem, but the combined use of immunization and insecticides did much to bring this disease under control.

Until the 1940s the only drugs available for treating leprosy were the chaulmoogra oils and their derivatives. These, though helpful, were far from satisfactory. In the 1940s the group of drugs known as the sulfones appeared, and it soon became apparent that they were infinitely better than any other group of drugs in the treatment of leprosy. Several other drugs later proved promising. Although there is a yet no known cure for leprosy, the outlook has so changed that there are good grounds for believing that this is age-old scourge can be brought under control.

The statement is:

A) true; B) false; C) no information is given in the text:

1. Insecticides were used in the forest reservoirs to bring yellow fever under control.

2. The sulfones appeared to be much better than any other group of drugs in the treatment of leprosy.

3. In XXth century quinacrine was the only known drug to have any appreciable effect on malaria.

4. Mosquitoes are able to develop a resistance to DDT.

Answer the question: Why did the World Health Organization sponsor the world wide campaign of bringing malaria under control?

a) Because a now and highly efficient insecticide DDT appeared;

b) Because malaria was widely spread in Africa;

c) Because it wanted to help reduce the disease among Allied troops in Africa;

d) Because the standards of public health were rising.

Which is the main idea of the text?

a) Quinine lost its effect on malaria in the first half of the 20^th century.

b) The major diseases of the tropics are malaria, yellow fever and leprosy.

c) Chaulmoogra oils and their derivatives were helpful for treating leprosy until the 1940s.

d) Insecticides did much to bring the three of the major diseases of the tropics under control.

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