Malaria Cure

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QUESTION

What medicine is good for curing malaria?

ANSWER

There are lots of different types of medication which are effective against malaria. However, for uncomplicated, unsevere cases, the World Health Organization (WHO) recommends using a type of medication called artemisinin-based combination therapy, or ACT. Again, there are many types of ACTs, so the name may vary depending on what is most common in your area, but some widespread brands include Coartem, Lonart, Duo-Cotecxin, etc. In some countries, they are known by an abbreviation of the drug name – for example, in Tanzania, the most common ACT is a combination of artemether and lumefantrine, and the different brands are collectively known as Alu.

For severe or complicated malaria (there is no hard and fast definition, but the clinical diagnosis may include cerebral involvement, seizure, coma, inability to take oral medication, severe anaemia, etc), the WHO recommends intravenous  (IV) artesunate, with quinine as a second choice.

There are also additional forms of treatment which may be used in certain settings, depending on the geographical region and the type of malaria, or if one of the above treatments is not successful. Likewise, pregnant women should not take ACTs, so they need to seek alternative forms of treatment, such as chloroquine (if the local malaria is known to be sensitive), mefloquine or sulfadoxine-pyremethamine.

What is Acute Malaria?

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QUESTION

What does acute malaria mean?

ANSWER

Acute malaria is severe malaria, with major signs of organ dysfunction and/or high level of malarial parasites on blood tests. In endemic areas, young children and pregnant women are at high risk for severe malaria. Older children and adults develop partial immunity after repeated infections; these groups are thus at relatively low risk for severe disease. Travelers to areas where malaria is endemic generally have no previous exposure to malaria parasites and so are at high risk for severe disease.

Malaria Treatment Options

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QUESTION

What can be used or eaten to treat malaria?

ANSWER

There are many drugs which can be used to treat malaria. Of these, the World Health Organization recommends artemisinin-based combination therapies (ACTs) to be used as first-line treatment against uncomplicated, non-severe malaria, and intravenous artesunate as the first-line therapy against severe or complicated malaria. More detailed information about the range of medications which can be used, some against specific kinds of malaria and some in specific areas of the world, can be found on our page relating to malaria treatment, which can be accessed via this link:Malaria Treatments. Also see  Guidelines for the Treatment of Malaria 2010, on the WHO website.
 

Diet During Malaria Episode

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QUESTION

What kind of diet should be followed by a malaria patient, specially when he is vomiting after every intake of food or liquid?

ANSWER
There are no specific diet specifications for people ill with malaria. Since many people feel nauseous and sick to their stomach (as you mentioned) while they are suffering from the disease, it may be hard to get people to eat anything at all.  However, it is very important that the patient takes in a lot of fluids (water, diluted juice, herbal tea) in order to keep from getting dehydrated.  If they are able to eat small amounts of food, that will also help to keep their strength up. Plain foods such as rice or dry toast may be the easiest for the person to digest, without feeling more nauseous.  It is especially important to continue feeding sick infants and children, as they can become dehydrated very quickly, leading to more complications.

Time Needed for Malarial Parasite to Develop in Mosquito

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QUESTION

How long must a malaria parasite grow in its host before it can be transmitted to humans?

ANSWER

The successful development of the malaria parasite in the mosquito (from the  “gametocyte” stage to the “sporozoite” stage) depends on several factors, but usually takes 10 – 18 days. The  most important is ambient temperature and humidity (higher temperatures  accelerate the parasite growth in the mosquito).

Positive RDT After Malaria Treatment

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QUESTION

I have Pv malaria repeated 2 times in two month then doctor give arthemether, lumefantrine tablet for three days twice in a day and primaquine tablet for 14 days..after this treatment malaria show positive on rapid test by a faint line….what is this?

ANSWER

It sounds like your doctor has treated you appropriately. What the line on the rapid test means depends a bit on the type of test it was. Some of these rapid tests look for parts of the malaria parasite which the body recognizes as causing disease (called antigens)—sometimes, these antigens can persist a bit in the body even after the malaria infection has been cured. Therefore, that could explain a slight positive result in a  rapid test soon after treatment. It will be important to follow this up with a second rapid test, maybe in a week, just to make sure you do not have an active infection. You should also be aware that Plasmodium vivax can remain dormant in the liver (primaquine is used to kill these dormant forms), and if primaquine treatment does not work, you will still be ay risk of relapse but you will not have any malaria parasites in the blood, and thus even a rapid test will be negative.

Dosage of Lumartem

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QUESTION

I am on lumartem treatment,  and was told to take four[4] tablets at a time twice a day;  but I see on leaflet two[2] tablet twice a day…..will it cause me any harm?

ANSWER

The dosage for Lumartem is by weight. For people weighing over 35 kg (77 pounds) the dosage is 4 tablets twice a day as you were prescribed.

Effects of Malaria on Brain

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QUESTION

Can malaria or the fever of malaria (or the medication) cause a teen to become depressed and suicidal 18 months on.

ANSWER

That is unlikely. Malaria, when treated, usually resolves completely, without any lingering effects. In some cases, people with severe cerebral malaria can have lasting neurological impacts, such as altered behaviour and difficulties with learning. Some studies have also shown that combat veterans who experienced cerebral malaria were more likely to suffer psychological effects after returning home, which included depression. However, again, a key feature of possible psychological conditions after malaria is that the patient experienced severe, cerebral, P. falciparum malaria. In other, non-complicated, cases of malaria, I have not found evidence for lasting psychological effects.