QUESTION

What age do you get malaria?

ANSWER

Malaria is transmitted by the bite of an infected mosquito, and therefore any one living  where malaria is present, at any age,  is susceptible. To prevent malaria,  sleep under a long-lasting insecticide treated bednet; make sure it is re-dipped in insecticide every year or so to maintain its efficacy. The mosquitoes which transmit malaria tend to feed at night, and so protecting yourself and your home during the evening, night and early morning is crucial. Maintaining good screens on all windows and doors can be a very effective way of preventing mosquitoes from entering, and in many parts of the world, people spray inside with insecticides to reduce the number of mosquitoes yet further. Wearing long-sleeved clothing at night and in the evenings can also prevent bites.

Pregnant women though, due to changes to the mother’s immune system and also perhaps due to the physiology of the placenta, are very vulnerable to malaria. There is also the risk (up to 33% in some studies) that malaria will pass directly from the mother to the baby, either through the placenta or in blood during childbirth—this is called “congenital malaria,” and can manifest as early as 1 day after delivery but a late as months after. The symptoms are similar to that of adult malaria, with fever, anaemia, lethargy, etc.

Even if the unborn baby does not get congenital malaria, it can be effected by its mother having malaria during pregnancy, with possible low birth weight, anaemia and even spontaneous abortion—abortion rates due to malaria can vary between 15-70%.

Given these negative effects, it is very important to protect pregnant women against malaria, and bednet distribution schemes in many places target these women. In high transmission settings, women may also be offered intermittent preventive therapy (IPT) which consists of at least two doses of anti-malarial medication, usually once during the second and once during the third trimester.