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Malaria Origins: New Findings on Gorillas

The passage discusses the ongoing fight against malaria, particularly its prevalence in Africa and recent findings by virologist Beatrice Hahn, who discovered that malaria originated from gorillas rather than chimpanzees. Despite these findings, malaria remains difficult to eradicate due to its historical introduction from a single gorilla, suggesting that complete eradication may be unlikely. Expert Frank Collins notes that while Hahn's research shows promise, it does not provide immediate solutions for combating malaria.

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14 views3 pages

Malaria Origins: New Findings on Gorillas

The passage discusses the ongoing fight against malaria, particularly its prevalence in Africa and recent findings by virologist Beatrice Hahn, who discovered that malaria originated from gorillas rather than chimpanzees. Despite these findings, malaria remains difficult to eradicate due to its historical introduction from a single gorilla, suggesting that complete eradication may be unlikely. Expert Frank Collins notes that while Hahn's research shows promise, it does not provide immediate solutions for combating malaria.

Uploaded by

adebisiumuhani
Copyright
© All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd

Read the following passage and answer the questions that follow:

The ongoing global campaign in the fight against malaria is still on, yet malaria is having

an upper hand especially in Africa. Perhaps, it is because the origin of the illness is yet

to be known. Recent developments may, however, be of help. Beatrice Hahn, a

virologist at the University of Alabama, Alabama, United States, US, disclosed her

findings recently on malaria. After collecting faeces in sub-Saharan African forests for

ten years, she disclosed that malaria originated from gorillas. Until recently, the

Falciparum strain of malaria, the deadliest type of malaria was reported to have come

from chimpanzees because it was found in their bodies. Hahn sequenced the genes of

many of those infective agents: SIV, simian foamy virus, hepatitis and now malaria

parasites.

With the assistance of primate researchers, Hahn studied about 2,700 faecal

samples. What does this portend for the fight against malaria? Previous surveys had

disclosed flaws
were tested in the
were malaria-chimpanzee
those findings
living closer to human of scientists.
sanctuaries It was noted that chimpanzees that
and those

kept in captivities.

Frank Collins, a malaria expert at the University of Notre Dame, Indiana, US, told

the New York Times that this does not provide solutions to battling malaria. He,

however, noted that Hahn’s findings show promise. Collins said that since malaria had

been introduced by a single gorilla long time ago, attempts to wipe out malaria from the

human race were unlikely to be reintroduced from apes. In 1932, the Rockefeller

Foundation gave up on its 17-year campaign to eradicate Yellow Fever. This was as a

result of scientists’ discovery that monkeys carried the same virus, so it would never be

wiped out without wiping out monkeys.

Questions

(a) (i) What is the subject matter of

the passage?

(iii) According to the passage, why


is it that malaria is still common in

Africa?

(1 mark)

(2 marks)

(b) (i) What does the Beatrice Hahn’s

study find out about malaria?

(ii) What wrong assumption has

been made about the origin of

malaria before?

(3 marks)

(2 marks)

(c) What specimen was used by

Beatrice Hahn in her study of malaria?

(1 mark)

(d) According to the passage, can

malaria be wiped out from the human

race?
(e.) (i) What type of sentence is the

first sentence of paragraph one?

(ii) In second the paragraph, bring out

one interrogative sentence.

(1 mark)

(1 mark)

(f) ‘…the genes of many of those

infective agents…’

(i) What is the grammatical name

given to the above expression?


(ii) What is the grammatical function

of the expression?

(2 marks)

(1 mark)

(1 mark)

(g) For each of the following words, find

a word or phrase which means the same

as the word and can replace it as used

in the passage:

(i) campaign;

(ii) disclosed;

(iii) samples;

(iv) battling and

(v) wiped out.

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