Scientists have developed a new type of nano particle which they say can safely and effectively deliver vaccines for diseases such as malaria and HIV-AIDS.
Developed by a team from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), the new particles consist of concentric fatty spheres that can carry synthetic versions of proteins normally produced by viruses.
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QUESTION: What are the symptoms of Malaria?
ANSWER: Malaria can have many different symptoms, but the initial signs are similar to a flu-like illness, with high fever, chills, headache and muscle soreness or aches. A characteristic sign of malaria is cyclical fever, with peaks of severity every two or three days. Additionally, some people will experience nausea, coughing, vomiting and/or diarrhea.
Because these symptoms are quite generic of a wide variety of illnesses, if you live in a malaria-endemic region, it is crucial to be tested when you develop such symptoms, rather than assuming it’s just the flu and soldiering on! If you have recently traveled to a malarial area and start to experience these signs of infection, similarly you should inform your doctor of your travel history, as otherwise they might not recognize your symptoms as potentially that of malaria.
If treated rapidly and with the correct medication, malaria is almost always completely treatable; it is only if treatment is delayed that it becomes more serious, with long-lasting and potentially fatal consequences. Similarly, if you take sensible precautions while living or traveling in malarial areas, such as taking prophylaxis (and taking them as per the instructions, for the full required amount of time!), avoiding being bitten by mosquitoes and sleeping under an insecticide-treated bed-net, you vastly reduce your chances of getting infected in the first place.
It’s also worth noting that different species of Plasmodium, the parasite that causes malaria, cause slightly different manifestations of the disease, and also require different forms of treatment. Plasmodium falciparum has a unique way of affecting the red blood cells it infects, which eventually can result in loss of function of internal organs. ‘Cerebral malaria’ is a particularly deadly version of this, whereby the function of the brain is affected. The cycles of fever, mentioned above, are caused by synchronous rupturing of the red blood cells in the body by the malaria parasite; P. falciparum, P. vivax and P. ovale complete this cycle every 48 hours, resulting in fever cycles of roughly two days (though P. falciparum can be unpredictable); P. malariae, on the other hand, has a cycle lasting 72 hours, so three day cycles of fever are expected. Finally, although many types of malaria can be successfully treated with the drug chloroquine, some strains, and notably of P. falciparum, have become resistant to this treatment. In these cases, artemesinin-based treatment is recommended, usually in combination with other therapies (artemesinin-combination therapy, or ACT). P. vivax, in addition, requires an additional drug, called primaquine, which is used to treat lingering liver stages of the parasite, to prevent reoccurrence of the infection.
If anyone wants to add to the above account of symptoms and/treatment, please put your comments below! For example, has anyone had malaria first hand and wants to describe their experience?
— Claire, Editor
Source: ARS Image Gallery
University of Maryland scientists are working on a genetically-engineered fungus that would kill the malaria parasite.
The battle against malaria continues to challenge doctors, scientists, and public health officials. Now, a team of British and American scientists have developed a novel and promising approach to malaria control. [Read more…]
Tanzania’s southern highlanders have long worried about pneumonia and other respiratory illnesses brought on by the cool, wet weather. But as climate change contributes to warmer temperatures in the region, residents are facing a new health threat: malaria. [Read more…]
Malaria is an ongoing health issue for many Pacific island nations, even though worldwide, the African continent has the highest number of cases. Half the world’s population – an estimated 3.3 billion people – are at risk.
In the Pacific region, countries that continue to be at risk include Solomon Islands and Papua New Guinea. [Read more…]
Research and Markets has announced the availability of a new report, that presents a detailed analysis of the Malaria diagnostics market in the US, Europe (France, Germany, Italy, Spain, UK) and Japan. Current scientific views on the Malaria definition, epidemiology and etiology are also reviewed. The report is entitled “The 2011 Malaria Diagnostics Market: US, Europe, JapanTest Volume and Sales Forecasts by Country.”
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The Malaria Taxes and Tariffs Advocacy Project (M-TAP), a two-year research and advocacy program recently released a report that shows the vast majority of the world’s malaria-endemic countries continue to maintain import tariffs on essential commodities used in the fight against malaria, including bednets, anti-malarial medicines, insecticides used in indoor residual spraying (IRS), IRS pumps, and rapid diagnostic tests.
Just six countries—Guinea, Kenya, Mauritius, Papua New Guinea, Tanzania, and Uganda—have taken action to remove all tariffs on ACs in the decade since the Abuja Declaration identified import tariffs and domestic taxes on ACs as a significant barrier to access. By contrast, 18 malaria-endemic countries currently maintain tariffs on all five AC categories reviewed by M-TAP, and 24 countries maintain tariffs on three or more ACs.
A mother carries home LLINs for her family following a net distribution campaign. Source: PSI/Angola
Malaria is one of the largest health concerns in Angola, particularly for pregnant women and young children. Using a long-lasting insecticide-treated net (LLIN) can greatly reduce the risk of malaria. The Ministry of Health is scaling up malaria control activities with expansion of net distribution as well as communication activities for behavior change to encourage the use of a net every night.
With support from the President’s Malaria Initiative and ExxonMobil, the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, Population Services International (PSI) works with the National Malaria Control Program to develop communication campaigns based on evidence gathered through research to promote healthier behaviors for malaria control.
All communication campaigns are based on in-depth research into behaviors related to malaria control. These results help target communication campaigns to achieve the desired behavior change for malaria prevention and treatment. A recently completed qualitative study supported by Global Fund Round 7 looked at behaviors and beliefs of pregnant women and caregivers of children under the age of 5 years to further understand why mosquito nets are or are not used. In-depth interviews were complemented by a photo narrative of the women’s lives, where study participants took pictures of important factors in their lives that influence their health and the health of their children. Results were analyzed by groups – those who always use a net and those who do not consistently use a net. [Read more…]
PMI focuses its efforts on the populations most vulnerable to malaria: children under five years of age and pregnant women. Source: IMA World Health
The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) became the 16th focus country of the President’s Malaria Initiative (PMI) and one of the most important, after having joined the Initiative on November 16, 2010.
The DRC is the second largest and third most populated country in Sub-Saharan Africa. Nearly 95 percent of the population – some 69 million people – live in malaria endemic areas and suffer nearly 30 million cases of this treatable and preventable disease. Malaria accounts for nearly half of the deaths of the 620,000 children in DRC who die before their fifth birthday. [Read more…]
In Benin, Catherine Degboesse and her newborn baby receive a free insecticide-treated mosquito net from Simon Kpossa (left), a member of the Ministry of Health's net distribution team. Source: André Roussel, USAID/Benin
The President’s Malaria Initiative (PMI)
Benin is one of the 15 original countries benefiting from PMI, which was launched in 2005 and is led by the U.S. Agency for International Development and implemented together with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
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