Distribution of Malaria

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QUESTION

Where does malaria mostly take place?

ANSWER

Malaria is mainly transmitted in tropical regions of the world; while some transmission does occur outside of the tropics, it tends to be seasonal in these areas (i.e. usually only during periods of high temperature/high rainfall). Within the tropics, malaria is found on all continents, though the highest number of cases is in Africa, which is also where over 90% of deaths due to malaria occur (of these, most are children under the age of 5). Outside Africa, the next highest levels of malaria are in India and south-east Asia and the western Pacific (such as Papua New Guinea).

Malaria Beliefs

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QUESTION

How do beliefs and attitude affect the spread, treatment and prevention of malaria?

ANSWER

Accurate information and knowledge about how malaria is transmitted, diagnosed and treated is crucial to controlling the disease, for the general public living in malarial areas, travelers to these areas and health professionals. For example, many travelers are unaware that their destination is in a malaria transmission zone, so they do not take appropriate preventive precautions. Similarly, many travelers I have met believe that if they have had malaria once, they are immune and cannot get reinfected, so don’t bother protecting themselves from mosquitoes – this is not true, and they are inadvertently putting themselves at great risk.

In terms of endemic areas, the focus is on educating people about day-to-day preventive measures, such as sleeping under long-lasting insecticide treated bednets and indoor residual spraying. Educational campaigns that focus on simple, straightforward ways to prevent malaria are more likely to influence people’s attitudes and lead to better malaria control. Similarly, teaching people to seek accurate diagnosis and then ensuring they have appropriate treatment is an important step.

In some places, people feel they cannot afford to visit a doctor or clinic, or would rather place their trust in a traditional healer or healing herbs; since the most effective medications against malaria are treatments such as artemisinin-based combination therapies, which are available through official health sources such as clinics, believing in traditional medicine can lead to the malaria infection becoming very severe, and even resulting in death. As such, another component to control is making sure that medical services such as clinics are easily accessible even for the poorest people, provide good health care and are affordable.

Mosquito Types

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QUESTION

How many types of mosquito are there?

ANSWER

There are over 3,500 species of mosquito! However, most of these do not transmit any diseases to humans. Mosquitoes are usually divided into two sub-families, the Anophelinae and the Culicinae. The latter group consists of about 40 genera, including Culex and Aedes, which contain some species that transmit diseases to humans (such as yellow fever, dengue fever and West Nile). The former contains the genus Anopheles, which are the mosquitoes that transmit malaria. There are about 460 described species of Anopheles mosquito, of which about 100 can transmit malaria, though the vast bulk of transmission is usually limited to about 30 species.

Malaria Drugs Side Effects

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QUESTION

I was affected by malaria 5 months back. I am feeling tiered and weakness and heart trembling symptoms.

Any suggestions to overcome weakness?

ANSWER

Your fatigue is probably not caused by the treatment—one of the potential residual effects of malaria infection is iron deficiency, which can lead to anaemia, and this can cause tiredness. Eating iron-rich foods or asking your doctor about iron supplements might help if indeed you find your iron levels are too low. Recovery from any illness can sometimes take a long time, and getting plenty of rest, eating well and keeping well hydrated will all help you to regain your strength.

If you have recently taken malaria medication, perhaps you would be willing to spend a few minutes to take our Malaria Medication Side Effects Survey? We are very interested in hearing about the experiences of people who have taken different types of malaria medication, and particularly any side effects they have experienced. The survey should only take a few minutes and will be anonymous; we will publish the results on the website for you to see. Many thanks for your assistance!

Symtoms of Malaria

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QUESTION

Please tell me the symptoms of malaria.

ANSWER

Symptoms of malaria include fever and flu-like illness, including shaking chills, headache, muscle aches, and tiredness. Due to the way in which the malaria parasite reproduces in the human body, fevers occurring in a cyclical fashion (i.e. high fever one day, no fever the next day, then recurrence of fever on the third or fourth day, depending on the type of malaria) are a characteristic symptom of malaria, but may not be present in all cases. 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. Symptoms usually appear between 10 and 15 days after the mosquito bite. If not treated, malaria can quickly become life-threatening by disrupting the blood supply to vital organs. When blood supply to the brain is disrupted during malarial infection, the resulting condition, characterised by seizures, mental confusion, coma, and death, is known as “cerebral malaria”, and is associated with Plasmodium falciparum, the most deadly form of malaria.

Please check your article: Symptoms and Causes of Malaria

Prevention of Malaria

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QUESTION

What is the prevention of malaria?

ANSWER

Malaria prevention consists of a combination of mosquito avoidance measures and chemoprophylaxis. Although very efficacious, none of the recommended interventions are 100% effective.

Mosquito Avoidance Measures

  • Because of the nocturnal feeding habits of Anopheles mosquitoes, malaria transmission occurs primarily between dusk and dawn.
  • Contact with mosquitoes can be reduced by remaining in well-screened areas, using mosquito bed nets (preferably insecticide-treated nets), using a pyrethroid-containing flying-insect spray in living and sleeping areas during evening and nighttime hours, and wearing clothes that cover most of the body.
  • All travelers should use an effective mosquito repellent.
  • The most effective repellent against a wide range of vectors is DEET (N,N-diethylmetatoluamide), an ingredient in many commercially available insect repellents. The actual concentration of DEET varies widely among repellents. DEET formulations as high as 50% are recommended for both adults and children older than 2 months of age (see the Protection Against Mosquitoes, Ticks, and Other Insects and Arthropods section later in this chapter). DEET should be applied to the exposed parts of the skin when mosquitoes are likely to be present.
  • In addition to using a topical insect repellent, a permethrin-containing product may be applied to bed nets and clothing for additional protection against mosquitoes.

Read the full article about Malaria Prevention.

Malaria while in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia?

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QUESTION

My husband and I recently adopted our second child from Ethiopia about 3 months ago. We did NOT take Malaria medication because we only stayed in Addis Ababa and did not travel outside the city—or very far from out hotel for that matter. I’ve recently started very odd symptoms—aches, chills but no fever, general feeling of malaise, runs, dry cough, hot flashes followed by sweats, and fatigue so severe I sometimes don’t have the energy to talk. The weird part is that the symptoms come and go. I feel fine for a few days, and then boom! Down for the count again, then fine the next day. I’m going to see my Dr. tomorrow, but could I have Malaria???

ANSWER

While the cyclical symptoms, occurring every few days, are similar to the cycles experienced by malaria sufferers, the lack of a fever is a good indication that you don’t have malaria. Moreover, as you clearly researched before your trip, Addis Ababa is not a transmission zone for malaria, so it is unlikely that you would have been infected during your trip. By now you will have probably seen your doctor, and I suspect s/he will have ruled out malaria. If you really want peace of mind, you can also ask for a blood test, just to check. I hope your condition is diagnosed and treated soon, and you recover quickly!

How Long Does it Take to Feel Ill from Malaria?

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QUESTION

How soon does a person usually to feel ill after malaria infection?

ANSWER

After being bitten by an infected mosquito, there is an “incubation period” before the person begins to suffer from symptoms of malaria. This time corresponds to the period the malaria parasite spends in the liver; it is once it enters the blood and begins to destroy red blood cells that initiate the onset of symptoms. The length of the incubation depends on a number of factors, including the type of malaria and whether the person has been taking anti-malarial preventative medication (prophylaxis), but the usual length of time is between 1-4 weeks.

How Long for Malaria Medication to Start Working?

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QUESTION

After I treat my body with the malaria pill how long will it be to start working in my body?

ANSWER

The malaria medication will start working almost immediately after you take it. The way in which malaria pills work differ depending on the type of drug you are taking, but most act on the parasites which infect red blood cells in your body. As soon as the parasite’s life cycle in the red blood cells is disrupted, you will begin to notice reduced symptoms and feel better, though it is important to take the full course of pills given to you by the pharmacist or doctor, as this ensures that all the malaria parasites are destroyed.

If you have recently taken medication against malaria, perhaps you would be willing to complete a short survey on our website, designed to get information about the experiences people have with malaria medication and the side effects they might have experienced? We would be very grateful for a few moments of your time – the link to the survey is here: Malaria Medication Side Effects Survey.

Can I Catch Malaria from Someone?

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QUESTION

My fiancee contracted malaria a few years ago. It was diagnosed as recurring. Could I contract malaria from the infected person, I have had similar symptoms which last a day or two, recurring with regular two week intervals, of which the most concerning are malaise, fever, stiff neck, headaches and severe pains over abdomen spreading into my mid back. What should I do?

ANSWER

Malaria cannot be directly transmitted between two people—it is almost always transmitted by the bite of an infected mosquito, and cannot survive at low temperatures (under about 17 degrees C). In some very rare cases, malaria can be transmitted through organ transplant, blood transfusion and pregnancy, since it infects red blood cells. Given these restrictions, it is close to impossible that you contracted malaria from your fiancee, and you should talk to your doctor about alternative explanations.

Also, if your girlfriend has recurring malaria, she should talk to her doctor about taking primaquine. While not suitable for everyone (namely people with G6DP deficiency should not take it), it can kill the dormant stages of the malaria parasite and prevent recurrence.