by Malaria Q&A
QUESTION:
How can malaria affect somebody if you far from mosquitoes?
ANSWER:
It is extremely unlikely for you to become infected with malaria unless you are bitten by an infected mosquito. In rare caces, there have been reports of people contracting malaria through blood transfusions, but in most places, blood donors with a history of malaria are not allowed to donate whole blood, and only plasma, thus preventing transmission through this route.
by Malaria Q&A
QUESTION:
Is ARCEVA a good vaccine for malaria?
ANSWER:
ARCEVA isn’t a vaccine for malaria, but it is a brand name of one type of medication used to treat the disease. It belongs to the group of drugs called artemisinin-based combination therapies (ACTs), which are recommended by the World Health Organisation to treat uncomplicated malaria caused by Plasmodium falciparum, the most dangerous form of malaria. ARCEVA specifically contains artemether combined with lumefantrine. It is very important to know that there is no effective vaccine against malaria that is currently available; many scientists and researchers are vigorously hunting for such a vaccine, knowing that this would radically decrease the number of cases of malaria worldwide.
by Malaria Q&A
QUESTION:
SYMPTOMS OF MALARIA?
ANSWER:
The symptoms of malaria include fever and flu-like illness, including shaking chills, headache, muscle aches, and tiredness. Nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea may also occur. Malaria may cause anemia and jaundice (yellow coloring of the skin and eyes) because of the loss of red blood cells. Infection with one type of malaria, Plasmodium falciparum, if not promptly treated, may cause kidney failure, seizures, mental confusion, coma, and death.
by Malaria Q&A
QUESTION:
What is MT and BT malaria?
ANSWER:
“MT” stands for “malignant tertian” and “BT” stands for “benign tertian” malaria. Tertian malaria describes fever which occurs every other day, in cycles. Of the main types of human malaria, Plasmodium vivax and Plasmodium ovale are the most stereotypically tertian. P. falciparum can be tertian, but it is more erratic and due to its severity, can result in increased frequency of fever. “Malignant” and “benign” refers to the severity of the disease. Malignant malaria is severe and sometimes fatal, whereas benign malaria is less acute and rarely results in death.
by Malaria Q&A
QUESTION:
Who found that malaria was caused by a mosquito?
ANSWER:
The man who first discovered that malaria was transmitted by mosquitoes was a British Army doctor called Ronald Ross. Working in India in 1897-1898, Ross demonstrated how malaria parasites could be transmitted first between a patient and a mosquito, and then between hosts via mosquitoes (this latter work was done using birds). Ronald Ross was honoured with the Nobel Prize in 1902 for his discoveries.
by Malaria Q&A
QUESTION:
Hi my twin sister is in Nigeria on a 5 month missions trip. She has just been diagnosed with Malaria, they believe she got it a year ago in El Salvador and that it has been dormant in her system, she has week kidneys and has chronic high blood pressure due to childhood illnesses she has had her whole life. She is in the Northern part of Nigeria and the hospitals there are no real help, my questions is…. in your opinion should come home now to recover?? I am sure the type of Malaria she has, I have been doing lots of research and I am extremely concerned for her health. She has always had health issues and I am wondering if the malaria will be even worse for her given her pre-existing health conditions. It is very hard to reach her so I am not able to ask her many questions, I know she is in pain, can’t keep food down and currently is not being treated in a hospital. Any thoughts or recommendations would be appreciated!!! ASAP Please! Thank You! Tasha
ANSWER:
Hi Tasha, I answered your question directly in response to the comment you made on the Malaria Symptoms post, but here it is again:
Sorry for the slow reply, I’ve been travelling. It sounds like your sister really needs urgent medical attention, and is not receiving that where she is in northern Nigeria. If possible, I would try to encourage her to seek further medical help, either in the area she is in or, if she is able to travel, in one of the major cities. If they have accurately diagnosed the type of malaria she has (which is presumably how they suspected she was infected in El Salvador, since it is likely not a species of malaria that is commonly found in Africa), it will be straightforward to give her treatment, but any physicians she sees must be made aware of her existing health conditions. If she has Plasmodium vivax, which is often found in Central America, she should also look into taking a course of drugs (called primaquine) which will prevent further recurrence of the disease at a later date. Hope this has been of some help and that she is on the road to recovery already.
AND:
In addition to the above, I have just received some advice from a medical doctor who is involved with our website:
If she contracted it in El Salvador, then Plasmodium vivax most likely and not a particularly resistant strain (generally chloroquine sensitive west of Panama Canal). I think this could be easily treated in Nigeria so long as the diagnosis is clear and there are drugs available – almost any standard regimen would be effective. Did she have anything with her for prophylaxis or stand-by treatment? Chloroquine/mefloquine/Malarone shouldn’t need much adjustment for her kidneys, but it would help to know what her renal function is (GFR/Creatine). The pain and nausea/vomiting present a problem in keeping the medication down, however, even IV hydration is an option if she is becoming dehydrated from the illness. In general, more details are needed, as worsening kidney problems from hydration or gall bladder problems from not eating could complicate the picture, even if the malaria is treated. I don’t know where home is, but she should at least get to a town where basic blood work can be obtained, and anti-nausea medication/IV fluids are available.
by Malaria Q&A
I am from East Africa. On July 3rd,2011 I had chills and I consulted a doctor, he did a blood test and told me I had malaria and gave me medication.
Then after 10 days I had neck pain and I went again to the doctor, who did another blood test, diagnosed malaria and gave medication. Then after 10 days it repeated.
It’s now the 22nd august,2011. I have pain in my neck and I went to another doctor he told to take blood test and he told for the last one month you didn’t get attacked by malaria. Can I know whether I suffered from malaria for the past 1 month? Also he has told me to take saline with some medicine to flush out that malaria medication. Is it correct? Please advise me.
ANSWER:
One of our collaborating medical doctors has kindly assisted in providing this answer. If recurrent symptoms of malaria were from one exposure to malaria earlier this year, then a drug-resistant strain of Plasmodium vivax is likely. OR, he/she simply needs to take primaquine for 4-6 weeks to eradicate the liver phase. The recurrent blood phase (symptomatic phase) may be due to smoldering infection in the liver. In order to confirm this hypothesis, you would need to know what drugs you were given on your earlier trips to the doctor, as well as the type of malaria the doctor diagnosed, if possible.
by Malaria Q&A
QUESTION:
Hello, I work with an NGO . We work in the rural areas. Please give me idea about dengue. Thnx
ANSWER:
Hi there, I’m afraid that I can’t really help you without knowing where you are located! Also, this forum is generally dedicated to questions about malaria, and so maybe I could recommend you look at the World Health Organisation pages regarding dengue fever for more information.
Certainly there are some very interesting data regarding the possible relationship between chloroquine resistance in malaria (and thus the reduction in prescribing it for malaria treatment) and the increase in incidence of dengue in many areas, but that’s a whole different story!
by Malaria Q&A
QUESTION:
NRHM Payment by malaria in Jharkhand
ANSWER:
I’m afraid I don’t fully understand the question. Perhaps you could rephrase it, and then I will try to answer you as fully as possible. Thank you!
by Malaria Q&A
QUESTION:
What is the incubation period of malaria?
ANSWER:
That depends on the species of malaria. Plasmodium falciparum has the shortest incubation time, typically 10 to 14 days. For P. vivax, incubation is usually between 10 to 17 days, but can be much longer (up to a year; the longest incubation time recorded for this species was 30 years!). P. ovale has an incubation period similar to that of P. vivax, and can also be dormant for many months or even years. P. malariae is thought to have an incubatiom time of between 16-59 days.