• View ecochildsplay’s profile on Facebook
  • View ecochildsplay’s profile on Twitter
  • View ecochildsplay’s profile on Instagram
  • View ecochildsplay’s profile on Pinterest
  • View Jennifer Lance’s profile on LinkedIn
  • View ecochildsplay’s profile on YouTube
  • View ecochildsplay’s profile on Google+

Eco Child's Play

Live a greener, healthier life!

  • Environment
  • Pregnancy
  • Food & Recipes
  • Health News
  • Parenting
  • Green Toys
  • Beauty & Beauty Products
  • Green Home & Cleaning
  • Contact

A Spoonful of Sugar Could Save Children's Lives

a spoonful of sugar can save children\'s livesA friend of mine’s daughter went to Africa.  She had to end her trip early, fly to the US, and be hospitalized for malaria. She was a lucky American child who could get medical care for this disease that affects 350–500 million people worldwide each year.  Her life was never threatened.

[social_buttons]

New research suggests a simple, natural solution can save the lives of children suffering from hypoglycemia caused by malaria:  a spoonful of sugar.

No, it’s not because a spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down, but it is because the sugar relieves life threatening symptoms.  According to the Agence France-Presse:

The rapid drop in blood sugar that frequently accompanies severe malaria kills many children in remote parts of Africa before they can reach a clinic for an intravenous dose of glucose, the proven treatment for hypoglycaemia.

Hubert Barennes, a French doctor who worked with public health services in several sub-Saharan countries from 1987 through 2002, saw the devastating affect of sudden sugar loss nearly every day.

He reasoned that a bit of the sweet stuff taken orally might at least help relieve the life-threatening symptoms.

It’s really quite amazing no one had thought of this before, especially considering the statistics on malaria as reported by the CDC:

  • Forty-one percent of the world’s population live in areas where malaria is transmitted (e.g., parts of Africa, Asia, the Middle East, Central and South America, Hispaniola, and Oceania).
  • Each year 350–500 million cases of malaria occur worldwide, and over one million people die, most of them young children in sub-Saharan Africa.
  • In areas of Africa with high malaria transmission, an estimated 990,000 people died of malaria in 1995 – over 2700 deaths per day, or 2 deaths per minute.
  • In 2002, malaria was the fourth cause of death in children in developing countries, after perinatal conditions (conditions occurring around the time of birth), lower respiratory infections (pneumonias), and diarrheal diseases. Malaria caused 10.7% of all children’s deaths in developing countries.
  • In Malawi in 2001, malaria accounted for 22% of all hospital admissions, 26% of all outpatient visits, and 28% of all hospital deaths. Not all people go to hospitals when sick or having a baby, and many die at home. Thus the true numbers of death and disease caused by malaria are likely much higher.

23 West African children were studied by Dr. Barennes. All of the children had severe malaria coupled with low blood glucose concentrations.

One was given the standard therapy of intravenous glucose, and the other received a bit of moistened sugar under the tongue every 20 minutes.
The results were unambiguous — the sugar doses worked just as well as the IV treatment, despite several cases in which children swallowed the sugar rather than letting it dissolve slowly under the tongue, thus reducing its effectiveness.

If I ever travel to Africa, I will have to remember to take some sugar with me (as well as a mosquito net).

Image:  300td.org on Flickr under a Creative Commons License

  • Twitter
  • Email
  • Pinterest
  • Print
  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn
  • More
  • WhatsApp
  • Tumblr
  • Reddit
  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter

Subscribe!

« Winter Nature Play
Caring for the Intact Penis »

Trackbacks

  1. Gujarat starts mass vaccination - Latest News Feeds - Discussion Corner at Urdu Poetry/Shayari Forum says:
    February 24, 2009 at 2:36 am

    […] from hypoglycemia caused by malaria, a researcher who conducted clinical trials here said. A Spoonful of Sugar Could Save Children’s Lives Eco Child’s Play A spoonful of sugar can help fight Malaria The Island (subscription) all 3 news […]

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Search Content

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter


About Eco Child’s Play

Our ethos is to provide news, information, and opinions on natural, green parenting to help your family live a greener, healthier life! Additionally, we offer personal consulting services to help you achieve your green living goals.

Jennifer is a vegetarian, yoga teacher, gardener, hiker, teacher, and mother that has been living off-the-grid for over 20 years.

Contact Eco Child’s Play

It’s Time to Quit Plastics and How to do It

Reduce Plastic Waste with re-brush Eco-Friendly Toothbrush

More from the archives!

Major Chinese Grocer Pulls Johnson & Johnson from Shelves

Could This Paving Stone Save Your Life?

Joe Mohr Cartoons: Charlie the Chopper

Breaking News: Processed Food Kills… More

Thomas the Tank Engine and Friends

COVID Back to School: Helping children cope with uncertainty

covid19 pregnancy

Does the Coronavirus Attack the Placenta and cause 2nd Trimester Miscarriages?

Information

  • About & Contact
  • Archive
  • Blog
  • Consulting Services
  • Disclaimer, Disclosure, & Sponsored Posts
  • Privacy Policy
logo
Food Advertising by

Hank D and the Bee: Santa to Give Clean Coal?

Natural Face Cleansing for Your Preteen

Hank D and the Bee: Just a Reminder About Whales

Easter Brunch- Vegan Quiche

zoë b organic Sleepy Hat and BPA-free Fantastic Bowls and Plates

Popular Categories

  • Breastfeeding
  • Health News
  • Natural Childbirth
  • Parenting
  • Education
  • Product Review
  • Green Toys

Get our posts via email

Please stay in touch!

You might also like to read…

Q & A: How Can We Ask People To Recycle When It Is So Difficult?

Not Enough Presents? Talking Yourself Down from Consumerist Roots

Kids and Nature: 3 California Eco-Friendly Summer Camps

The Potential Problem with Modern Parenting

Democracy Now with Pioneer Midwife Ina May Gaskin

Copyright © 2021 · Divine theme by Restored 316

Copyright © 2021 · Divine Theme On Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in

loading Cancel
Post was not sent - check your email addresses!
Email check failed, please try again
Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email.
We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it.OkNoPrivacy policy