relationship among African-Americans, Malaria and Sickle cell anemia. Many people born in regions affected by malaria are resistant to the disease. Malaria, rampant in parts of Africa, south of the Sahara has killed millions of people many of them little children. Further examination shows that those who are resistant to the disease carry at least one sickle cell trait. Blacks in America whose ancestors hail from Africa show a higher incidence of the disease. Are African-Americans who carry the abnormal gene proof of a genre of natural selection, allowing those with the trait to survive and those without the trait to perish? I will explore the link between those with the sickle cell gene and their apparent immunity from malaria and the connection between African-Americans and their ancestors.
What is Sickle Cell Anemia?
Linus Pauling originally discovered sickle cell in 1949. Sickle cell anemia is a red blood cell disorder that can be passed down from generation. Sickle cell anemia is so named because the red blood cells in the infected person resemble a sickle that is used to cut wheat; infected cells also become sticky and hard.
A person who does not have the disease has blood cells that resemble a doughnut in shape. See picture below.
On the left illustrates normal blood cells. The picture on the right shows the blood cells of a person with sickle cell anemia.
Courtesy of the University of Michigan
Normal Red Blood Cells
Sickle Red Blood Cells
Sickle cell is caused by changes in the hemoglobin, which is a substance found inside the red blood cell its main function is to carry oxygen inside the cell. A tiny modification of this substance causes long rods to form in the cell when it is omitting oxygen, thereby giving the cell its sickle shape.
Who Is Affected By Sickle Cell Anemia?
Sickle cell is inherited disease children acquire the disease from parents who may have the disease or carry the trait. Sickle cell anemia is not contagious. Sickle cell is most prevalent in African-Americans, Greeks, Latin Americans, Italians, Indians and Arabs. However, there have been recorded cases of other groups such as whites having the disease. No one is immune, and everyone should be tested.
Common Genre of Sickle Cell Anemia
The top three most common types of Sickle cell in America are:
1. Hemoglobin SS or sickle cell anemia
2. Hemoglobin SC disease
3. Hemoglobin sickle beta-thalassemia
While there are some fundamental differences among the three types of Sickle cell, there is not one that is less painful than the other. No matter what type of Sickle cell anemia a person suffers from everyone affected can experience some devastating complications. Common complications experienced by Sickle cell patients are: leg ulcers, kidney damage, strokes, bone damage increased infections and delayed growth. In order to control the disease, sickle cell patients use a combination of methods such as increasing folic acid intake, drinking plenty of water, avoiding extreme temperatures and avoiding excess exertion and stress.
African-Americans, Sickle Cell Anemia and Malaria
1 out of 400 African-Americans have sickle cell.
Which means that 8% of African-
Americans carry the sickle cell trait. However, sickle cell is not exclusively an African-American issue. Scientists conclude that sickle cell is a gene mutation that may have developed as a defensive mechanism against malaria.
Research has shown that those with the trait have a higher than average survival rate in malaria infected regions than those who do not carry the trait.
What is Malaria?
Malaria is a life-threatening disease transmitted by the female Anopheles mosquito. The cause of the Malaria is a parasite called plasmodium. Almost 40% of the world’s population is at risk for Malaria as ninety percent of Malaria deaths occur south of the Sahara. Sadly, Malaria kills an African child every 30 seconds.
Malaria and Sickle Cell
Scientific studies seem to suggest that the sickle cell gene protects against malaria. A University of Michigan study finds that children with sickle cells had a lower rate of malarial infection than those with normal cells. In an experiment, all but one of the 15 volunteers who did not have the gene injected with malaria developed the disease. On the other hand, only two of the 15 volunteers with sickle cell developed the disease. Remarkably, the sickle cell trait is confined to areas where malaria is present or within populations from affected areas.
The illustration below shows the malaria life cycle
Courtesy of “Roll Back Malaria” The World Health Organization
Scientists also contend that sickle cell did not develop to fight malaria itself. However, thanks to natural selection those with the gene have a better chance of survival against the deadly infection. Therefore, those who had the gene lived to have children who carried the gene, and their children had children who carry the gene, and most of those without the gene did not survive to produce children. Furthermore, those with two sickle cell genes died from complications of the sickle cell disease itself and eventually more people with one normal gene and one sickle cell gene survived.
Conclusion
It appears that the sickle cell trait was not solely formed to be a barrier against malaria as originally thought by most. However, natural selection has evolved those in affected regions in such away that those with the abnormal trait enjoy a longer life than those who do not have the trait. The trend has been that those with one sickle cell jean outlive those with two sickle cell jeans (who die from complications of the disease) and those without the trait (who die from malaria). To take this analysis one more step, if malaria were to be eradicated those carrying the sickle cell trait would also be eliminated. This once again, is natural selection in action. Apparently, this natural selection is already occurring in the Untied States today. Evidence shows that in Georgia there has been a decrease in the number of African-Americans that are bearers of the gene. Of course, Georgia does not suffer from this horrible epidemic, thereby eliminating the need for the trait.
African-Americans and other groups hailing from the region and surrounding areas carry the sickle cell gene more so than others because of natural selection. The ancestors of Africans-Americans with the disease survived to continue their legacy because they had protection against the disease that claimed the lives of those without natural protection. We will see a declining trend in the number of African-Americans with the sickle cell trait as nature begins to dismiss the need for it.
“What is Sickle Cell Disease?” www.sicklecelldisease.com.
“Sickle Cell Anemia Description” www.blackhealthcare.com
“Sickle Cell Anemia.” www.mamashealth.com.
“Sickle Cell Disease.” Columbia University Press, 1994.
“Roll Back Malaria.” World Health Organization, March 2002.
“Sickle Cell and Malaria.” Kie Evidence ?
http://www.kie.berkeley, edu
Jared Diamond “Blood, Genes and Malaria.” Natural History February 1999.
Get Professional Assignment Help Cheaply
Are you busy and do not have time to handle your assignment? Are you scared that your paper will not make the grade? Do you have responsibilities that may hinder you from turning in your assignment on time? Are you tired and can barely handle your assignment? Are your grades inconsistent?
Whichever your reason is, it is valid! You can get professional academic help from our service at affordable rates. We have a team of professional academic writers who can handle all your assignments.
Why Choose Our Academic Writing Service?
- Plagiarism free papers
- Timely delivery
- Any deadline
- Skilled, Experienced Native English Writers
- Subject-relevant academic writer
- Adherence to paper instructions
- Ability to tackle bulk assignments
- Reasonable prices
- 24/7 Customer Support
- Get superb grades consistently
Online Academic Help With Different Subjects
Literature
Students barely have time to read. We got you! Have your literature essay or book review written without having the hassle of reading the book. You can get your literature paper custom-written for you by our literature specialists.
Finance
Do you struggle with finance? No need to torture yourself if finance is not your cup of tea. You can order your finance paper from our academic writing service and get 100% original work from competent finance experts.
Computer science
Computer science is a tough subject. Fortunately, our computer science experts are up to the match. No need to stress and have sleepless nights. Our academic writers will tackle all your computer science assignments and deliver them on time. Let us handle all your python, java, ruby, JavaScript, php , C+ assignments!
Psychology
While psychology may be an interesting subject, you may lack sufficient time to handle your assignments. Don’t despair; by using our academic writing service, you can be assured of perfect grades. Moreover, your grades will be consistent.
Engineering
Engineering is quite a demanding subject. Students face a lot of pressure and barely have enough time to do what they love to do. Our academic writing service got you covered! Our engineering specialists follow the paper instructions and ensure timely delivery of the paper.
Nursing
In the nursing course, you may have difficulties with literature reviews, annotated bibliographies, critical essays, and other assignments. Our nursing assignment writers will offer you professional nursing paper help at low prices.
Sociology
Truth be told, sociology papers can be quite exhausting. Our academic writing service relieves you of fatigue, pressure, and stress. You can relax and have peace of mind as our academic writers handle your sociology assignment.
Business
We take pride in having some of the best business writers in the industry. Our business writers have a lot of experience in the field. They are reliable, and you can be assured of a high-grade paper. They are able to handle business papers of any subject, length, deadline, and difficulty!
Statistics
We boast of having some of the most experienced statistics experts in the industry. Our statistics experts have diverse skills, expertise, and knowledge to handle any kind of assignment. They have access to all kinds of software to get your assignment done.
Law
Writing a law essay may prove to be an insurmountable obstacle, especially when you need to know the peculiarities of the legislative framework. Take advantage of our top-notch law specialists and get superb grades and 100% satisfaction.
What discipline/subjects do you deal in?
We have highlighted some of the most popular subjects we handle above. Those are just a tip of the iceberg. We deal in all academic disciplines since our writers are as diverse. They have been drawn from across all disciplines, and orders are assigned to those writers believed to be the best in the field. In a nutshell, there is no task we cannot handle; all you need to do is place your order with us. As long as your instructions are clear, just trust we shall deliver irrespective of the discipline.
Are your writers competent enough to handle my paper?
Our essay writers are graduates with bachelor's, masters, Ph.D., and doctorate degrees in various subjects. The minimum requirement to be an essay writer with our essay writing service is to have a college degree. All our academic writers have a minimum of two years of academic writing. We have a stringent recruitment process to ensure that we get only the most competent essay writers in the industry. We also ensure that the writers are handsomely compensated for their value. The majority of our writers are native English speakers. As such, the fluency of language and grammar is impeccable.
What if I don’t like the paper?
There is a very low likelihood that you won’t like the paper.
Reasons being:
- When assigning your order, we match the paper’s discipline with the writer’s field/specialization. Since all our writers are graduates, we match the paper’s subject with the field the writer studied. For instance, if it’s a nursing paper, only a nursing graduate and writer will handle it. Furthermore, all our writers have academic writing experience and top-notch research skills.
- We have a quality assurance that reviews the paper before it gets to you. As such, we ensure that you get a paper that meets the required standard and will most definitely make the grade.
In the event that you don’t like your paper:
- The writer will revise the paper up to your pleasing. You have unlimited revisions. You simply need to highlight what specifically you don’t like about the paper, and the writer will make the amendments. The paper will be revised until you are satisfied. Revisions are free of charge
- We will have a different writer write the paper from scratch.
- Last resort, if the above does not work, we will refund your money.
Will the professor find out I didn’t write the paper myself?
Not at all. All papers are written from scratch. There is no way your tutor or instructor will realize that you did not write the paper yourself. In fact, we recommend using our assignment help services for consistent results.
What if the paper is plagiarized?
We check all papers for plagiarism before we submit them. We use powerful plagiarism checking software such as SafeAssign, LopesWrite, and Turnitin. We also upload the plagiarism report so that you can review it. We understand that plagiarism is academic suicide. We would not take the risk of submitting plagiarized work and jeopardize your academic journey. Furthermore, we do not sell or use prewritten papers, and each paper is written from scratch.
When will I get my paper?
You determine when you get the paper by setting the deadline when placing the order. All papers are delivered within the deadline. We are well aware that we operate in a time-sensitive industry. As such, we have laid out strategies to ensure that the client receives the paper on time and they never miss the deadline. We understand that papers that are submitted late have some points deducted. We do not want you to miss any points due to late submission. We work on beating deadlines by huge margins in order to ensure that you have ample time to review the paper before you submit it.
Will anyone find out that I used your services?
We have a privacy and confidentiality policy that guides our work. We NEVER share any customer information with third parties. Noone will ever know that you used our assignment help services. It’s only between you and us. We are bound by our policies to protect the customer’s identity and information. All your information, such as your names, phone number, email, order information, and so on, are protected. We have robust security systems that ensure that your data is protected. Hacking our systems is close to impossible, and it has never happened.
How our Assignment Help Service Works
1. Place an order
You fill all the paper instructions in the order form. Make sure you include all the helpful materials so that our academic writers can deliver the perfect paper. It will also help to eliminate unnecessary revisions.
2. Pay for the order
Proceed to pay for the paper so that it can be assigned to one of our expert academic writers. The paper subject is matched with the writer’s area of specialization.
3. Track the progress
You communicate with the writer and know about the progress of the paper. The client can ask the writer for drafts of the paper. The client can upload extra material and include additional instructions from the lecturer. Receive a paper.
4. Download the paper
The paper is sent to your email and uploaded to your personal account. You also get a plagiarism report attached to your paper.
PLACE THIS ORDER OR A SIMILAR ORDER WITH US TODAY AND GET A PERFECT SCORE!!!
