How easily is malaria passed between humans?

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QUESTION

Can malaria be passed between humans if one has a bloody nose or if sex tears the vagina and a small bleed occurs?

ANSWER

It is extremely unlikely malaria would be transmitted via transfer of small amounts of blood. The only documented examples of direct transmission of malaria between humans is during blood transfusion, organ donation and from a mother to her unborn child, all of which require transfer of very large volumes of blood or the transfer of a specific organ containing malaria parasites. In the case of a mother transmitting malaria to her child, it either occurs across the placenta (again, via blood) or via the large amounts of blood which can be exposed during childbirth.

Malaria Statistics in Limpopo in Malamulele Town, South Africa

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QUESTION

What is the statistics of malaria from 2008 to 2011 in limpopo im malamulele town?

ANSWER

I think your best bet to get access to specific statistics for a particular town is to contact the local district health office directly, or contact an organization that works in the area on health issues. As far as I know, there are no publicly available malaria statistics for Malamulele town on the Internet. One organization I have found which works in the region is Sakhiwo Health Solutions, a company which appears to be involved in a malaria mitigation project in Malamulele. Their website is sakhiwo.com.

Anti Malaria Medication for Dominican Republic

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QUESTION

I am from the UK and am planning to go to the Dominican Republic (Punta Cana) in October. I have been prescribed Malarone from the nurse at my local GP’s, although my mothers nurse informed her that this drug is not suitable for this area? I would appreciate any help, many thanks.

ANSWER

Malarone is suitable for travel to the Dominican Republic. However, the type of malaria found there is also still considered sensitive to chloroquine, so chloroquine is also an acceptable form of chemoprophylaxis for travel to this country. Mefloquine and doxycycline can also be taken.

P. knowlesi versus P. falciparum: Treatment and Prevention

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QUESTION

I would like to know about the P. knowlesi – treatment compared to P. falciparum? preventive medicine?

ANSWER

At this point in time, P. knowlesi is completely susceptible to chloroquine, and so can be treated successfully using this drug. P. falciparum, on the other hand, is known to have widespread resistance to chloroquine, and so the World Health Organization recommends that chloroquine should not be used to treat P. falciparum malaria. Instead, for non-complicated malaria, the WHO recommends treatment with artemisinin-based combination therapies (ACTs). These drugs can also be used against other forms of malaria, including P. knowlesi, particularly if the hospital also treats cases of P. falciparum regularly and so has supplies of ACTs on hand. One study even showed that treatment with ACTs (specifically artemether-lumefantrine) was more effective than chloroquine in treating P. knowlesi. Severe cases of either infection should be treated with intravenous artesunate or quinine.

Prevention for both is roughly similar – chemoprophylaxis should be taken by people travelling to an area where transmission of these types of malaria occurs. However, given P. knowlesi‘s susceptibility to chloroquine, this drug is effective as a prophylactic for this malaria species, whereas it is not appropriate for P. falciparum, given high levels of resistance. In terms of prevention of mosquito bites, this differs due to the types of mosquito vectors each of these species of malaria uses. P. knowlesi is only found in south-east Asia, where the mosquitoes that transmit it tend to be forest dwelling. As such, people who spend time in the forest in the evening and at night are most at risk of contracting P. knowlesi. Wearing long-sleeved clothing and insecticide while in the forest may help prevention in this case. P. falciparum is found throughout the world, and uses many different species of mosquito vector. In Africa, the mosquitoes which transmit P. falciparum tend to rest indoors and thus bite people at night while they are sleeping. Therefore, in these settings, it is especially beneficial to sleep under a long-lasting insecticide treated bednet. Indoor residual spraying, which coats the inside walls of a house with insecticide to kill indoor-resting mosquitoes, can also be beneficial.

Is Malaria Related to Hemophilia or Nephrotic Syndrome?

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QUESTION

Is malaria related to hemophilia and nephrotic syndrome? If yes, how? Can anyone explain further?

ANSWER

Malaria is an infectious disease caused by the bite of an infected mosquito.  Hemophilia is a hereditary blood disease, and is not related to malaria.

However, there is a specific relationship between Plasmodium malariae and the nephrotic syndrome.  Along with bouts of fever and more general clinical symptoms such as chills and nausea, the presence of edema and the nephrotic syndrome has been documented with some P. malariae infections.  It has been suggested that immune complexes may cause structural glomerular damage and that renal disease may also occur. Although P. malariae alone has a low morbidity rate, it does contribute to the total morbidity caused by all Plasmodium species, as manifested in the incidences of anemia, low birth rate, nephrotic syndrome and reduced resistance to other infections.

Malaria Infection Even With Prevention

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QUESTION

Can you still get infected with Malaria even when taking a preventative such as doxycycline or Malarone?

ANSWER

Yes, no prophylactic medication is 100% effective though both Malarone and doxycycline are usually over 90% effective, when taken properly. It is important to make sure each tablet is taken approximately at the same time each day, and in the case of Malarone, it is important to take it with some fatty food as this assists in absorption. Conversely, doxycycline should not be taken within 6 hours of consuming dairy products, as the calcium present in milk can prevent uptake of doxycycline. For these reasons, it is important to also use other methods of preventing malaria, such as sleeping under a long-lasting insecticide treated bednet.

What Are the Symptoms of Malaria?

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QUESTION

What are the symptoms of malaria?

ANSWER

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. 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. Infection with one type of malaria, Plasmodium falciparum, if not promptly treated, may cause kidney failure, seizures, mental confusion, coma, and death. In many parts of the world, the parasites have developed resistance to a number of malaria medicines.

For most people, symptoms begin 10 days to 4 weeks after infection, although a person may feel ill as early as 7 days or as late as 1 year later. Two kinds of malaria, P. vivax and P. ovale, can occur again (relapsing malaria). In P. vivax and P. ovale infections, some parasites can remain dormant in the liver for several months up to about 4 years after a person is bitten by an infected mosquito. When these parasites come out of hibernation and begin invading red blood cells (“relapse”), the person will become sick.

Infection with malaria parasites may result in a wide variety of symptoms, ranging from absent or very mild symptoms to severe disease and even death. Malaria disease can be categorized as uncomplicated or severe/complicated. In general, malaria is a curable disease if diagnosed and treated promptly and correctly.

Malaria Prophylaxis – Delaware

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QUESTION

Where can I get vaccinated for malaria in Wilmington, DE?

ANSWER

Currently there is no vaccine for preventing malaria.  However, there are a number of ways to prevent malaria. These can be placed into two categories: medication and vector protection.

For medication, there are drugs you can take to prevent the malaria parasite from developing after being bitten by an infected mosquito. These drugs are known as “chemoprophylaxis.” There are several different kinds, such as doxycycline, mefloquine (marketed as Lariam), atovaquone-proguanil (marketed as Malarone) and chloroquine—the type you use depends on the type of malaria present in the area. For example, in much of Africa and India, malaria is resistant to chloroquine, so this cannot be used as a prophylactic. In parts of Thailand, resistance to mefloquine has emerged. However, if the appropriate type of prophylaxis is used, it is very effective against malaria.

Vector prevention involves protecting oneself against getting bitten by mosquitoes. This can involve wearing long-sleeved clothing in the evenings and at night, when malaria mosquitoes are most active, or wearing insect repellent on exposed skin. Indoor residual spraying, whereby repellent and insecticides are sprayed inside the house, can also be used to bring down the number of mosquitoes.  Another very effective technique for preventing malaria is to sleep under a long-lasting insecticide-treated bednet. The mesh acts as a barrier against the mosquitoes, and the insecticide impregnated in the mesh further repels the mosquitoes and prevents them from biting through the mesh.

Check the “Malaria Overview” section of malaria.com for a map showing where malaria is found, and for appropriate  preventive treatment. You can also look at the CDC website and consult your physician before traveling.

First in Malaria: U.S. or China?

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QUESTION

Who discovered the world’s first malaria vaccine? Is it the US marines in Washington DC or the People’s Republic of China?

ANSWER

Unfortunately there is still no effective malaria vaccine.  You might be referring to the race between the US and China to find an effective malarial treatment during the Vietnam War years.  Currently, artemisinins, from the wormwood plant, discovered in China is the recommended treatment for malaria caused by Plasmodium falciparam.