What is Malaria?

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QUESTION

What is malaria?

ANSWER

Malaria is a disease caused by parasites of the genus Plasmodium. Transmitted by mosquitoes, there are several different kinds of malaria distributed throughout the tropical and sub-tropical regions of the world, causing somewhere between 300-500 million cases of disease each year, and as many as 1 million deaths. In fact, malaria is one of the biggest killers of children under the age of five in sub-Saharan Africa, one of the regions of the world where the burden from malaria is the highest. Malaria is usually an acute disease, manifesting itself with severe fever, chills, headache and often nausea as well. Some types of malaria can have relapsing episodes over a time period of many years.

Having said this, malaria is easily preventable, through avoiding mosquito bites by wearing appropriate clothing and sleeping under insecticide-treated bednets, or through taking preventative medication (called prophylaxis). Malaria is also treatable once symptoms appear, through ingesting safe, effective and relatively cheap drugs. With such control measures at hand, you may ask why malaria is still such a huge problem in our world; the answer is that delivering control strategies and treatment to populations most at risk is difficult, and often countries with high malaria burdens don’t have efficient and effective health systems in place to coordinate control efforts.

International non-governmental organisations such as the World Health Organisation, as well as a multitude of non-profit organisations such as the Malaria Consortium and Malaria No More, work tirelessly to bring malaria control and treatment to the places that need it most, with the aim to eradicate malaria as a disease of public health importance.

Who introduced malaria in which century?

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QUESTION

Who introduced malaria in which century, how does it cause malaria and what is the virus’ name?

ANSWER

Malaria wasn’t introduced; it has been evolving alongside humans for thousands, if not millions of years. The first known mention of malaria by humans is in an ancient Chinese medical text, from 2700 BCE (before common era). Other ancient people, such as the Romans and the Greeks, knew the symptoms of malaria and described it in writing.

Malaria is actually not caused by a virus, but a single-celled animal called a protozoan. The genus name of the protozoans that cause malaria is Plasmodium, and there are five main species that infect humans: P. falciparum, P. vivax, P. ovale, P. malariae and P. knowlesi.

The malaria parasites cause the disease by entering into red blood cells and multiplying; when they have reproduced, they burst out of the red blood cell, destroying it. The patient’s blood is therefore rapidly full of malaria parasites, their waste products, plus bits of destroyed red blood cell; this produces an extreme immune reaction which causes many of the symptoms of malaria. In infection with P. falciparum, the most deadly and severe kind, infection with the parasite causes red blood cells to sequester in tiny red blood cells within major organs, causing reduced oxygen flow and complications. When this occurs in the brain, the result is cerebral malaria, which can result in convulsions and even a coma.

Signs of Malaria

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Hello my question is how do I see malaria signs if i haven’t gone to check yet?

 

The key is to recognise whether you have any potential symptoms of malaria, or if you have been bitten a lot by mosquitoes recently and live in an area where malaria is present. 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. 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 you live in a malarial area, you can always visit a clinic and see if they will do a test to screen you for malaria, even if you don’t have the above symptoms. People who live in malarial areas develop partial immunity to the disease, meaning that new infections do not always present themselves as acutely as when they were children, or in people who are being infected for the first time. As such, some people can have low levels of parasite in their blood and while they may feel tired or a bit under the weather, do not have specific symptoms. This is especially the case for the less severe and deadly forms of malaria, such as Plasmodium vivax, P. ovale and P. malariae, so if you live in an area where any of these three are present, it might be worth getting a malaria test even if you don’t have symptoms.

However, it is very important not to accept treatment unless you are confirmed as having a positive diagnosis for malaria; taking treatment without having the disease can lead to resistance to the medication, and you may also experience side effects, which, though usually mild, are still probably better to avoid!

What is Malaria?

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QUESTION

What is it?

ANSWER

I have copied the below answer from an earlier question also asking what malaria is:

Malaria is a disease caused by parasites of the genus Plasmodium. Transmitted by mosquitoes, there are several different kinds of malaria distributed throughout the tropical and sub-tropical regions of the world, causing somewhere between 300-500 million cases of disease each year, and as many as 1 million deaths. In fact, malaria is one of the biggest killers of children under the age of five in sub-Saharan Africa, one of the regions of the world where the burden from malaria is the highest. Malaria is usually an acute disease, manifesting itself with severe fever, chills, headache and often nausea as well. Some types of malaria can have relapsing episodes over a time period of many years.

Having said this, malaria is easily preventable, through avoiding mosquito bites by wearing appropriate clothing and sleeping under insecticide-treated bednets, or through taking preventative medication (called prophylaxis). Malaria is also treatable once symptoms appear, through ingesting safe, effective and relatively cheap drugs. With such control measures at hand, you may ask why malaria is still such a huge problem in our world; the answer is that delivering control strategies and treatment to populations most at risk is difficult, and often countries with high malaria burdens don’t have efficient and effective health systems in place to coordinate control efforts.

International non-governmental organisations such as the World Health Organisation, as well as a multitude of non-profit organisations such as the Malaria Consortium and Malaria No More, work tirelessly to bring malaria control and treatment to the places that need it most, with the aim to eradicate malaria as a disease of public health importance.

How does oxygenated blood reach the brain?

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QUESTION

How does the oxygenated blood actually reach the brain???

ANSWER

Two main artery pairs supply the brain with oxygenated blood from the lungs. These are the internal carotid arteries and the vertebral arteries.

One of the major risks of infection with Plasmodium falciparum malaria is that the parasite induces red blood cells to sequester to the sides of small blood vessels in major organs, rather than stay in the peripheral blood system in the limbs. If this happens in the brain, the resultant loss of oxygen supply and other complications leads to cerebral malaria, which is a serious condition and can lead to convulsions, permanent neurological damage and even coma and death. As such, it is crucial to treat all cases of malaria swiftly and effectively, but none so urgently as P. falciparum infections.

Malaria as a Global Issue

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QUESTION

How is malaria a global issue?

ANSWER

Malaria is a global issue because it is found all over the world, with people in 109 countries at everyday risk of infection and approximately 250 million cases every year. In fact, every year, cases of malaria are reported from every continent of the world apart from Antartica; moreover, there are concerns that in the face of climate change, more areas of the world will become suitable for transmission of malaria, making it even more widespread.

Malaria Prevention and Hormones

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QUESTION

Is there any chance of opposing the malarial infection by hormones? If yes,then how is that done?

ANSWER

Malaria incidence is roughly equal between males and females, so it is not believed that sex hormones have any influence of infection rates. However, the progress of infection with respect to hormones has not been extensively studied. It is unlikely that hormonal supplements would have effect in preventing infection.

Symptoms of Malaria

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QUESTION

What are the main 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 recurrence of the infection.

Malaria and Renal Failure

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QUESTION

Explain how malaria can cause renal failure?

ANSWER

There are several mechanisms by which malaria can contribute to renal failure, which vary due to the type of malaria. The exact way in which these various effects combine to cause acute renal failure is not known.

The most common type of malaria to cause renal failure is Plasmodium falciparum, generally the most severe and deadly form of the disease. P. falciparum infected red blood cells are known to sequester in tiny red blood cells deep within major organs, including the kidney; it is thought that reduced blood flow and resulting lack of oxygen may contribute to renal failure. Exaggerated immune response to infection may also be a major contributor to renal failure—this is most likely to cause of renal complications seen in other forms of malaria infection, such as Plasmodium malariae infection.

Moreover, acute renal failure is more usually observed in non-immune adults to malaria (such as those who did not grow up in malaria areas) or older children, again suggesting an involvement of the immune response. Finally, dehydration, associated with a lack of sufficient fluid intake during illness with malaria, may compound these other issues, and contribute to renal failure. Perhaps counterintuitively, administration of intravenous fluids may actually worsen the system, due to the body’s shock-like response to the sudden increase in fluids.

Malaria Mosquito

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QUESTION

Which mosquito causes malaria?

ANSWER

Malaria mosquito vector map CDC

Map of the main global mosquito vectors of malaria (image courtesy of CDC)

It is important to note that mosquitoes do not CAUSE malaria—the disease itself is caused by microscopic, single-celled animals called Plasmodium. These Plasmodium parasites live and reproduce inside the mosquito, and when the mosquito bites a person, the parasites are transferred into that person’s blood via the mosquito’s saliva. If another mosquito bites a person with malaria, they will pick up the parasites from the person’s blood, and the cycle continues.

Malaria parasites are simply transmitted by mosquitoes, and specifically of the genus Anopheles, of which a variety of different species are capable of transmitting it to humans. In Africa, the species most responsible for transmission is An. gambiae, which actually consists of a group of very similar and closely related species; the group as a whole is known as the An. gambiae species complex. An. funestus is also a wide-spread and important vector species in Africa. Below is a map, courtesy of the CDC, which shows the distribution of some of the main malaria vector mosquitoes worldwide.