Tested Positive for Malaria

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QUESTION

I was found with malaria 0.25% positive in my test report….. will this make to reject my application from a Malaysian university?

ANSWER

Malaria is an infection with a parasite of the genus Plasmodium; all types are very treatable, and so even if you have tested positive, you can easily get medication which will allow you to recover fully from the disease. While some  universities require a health test, since malaria is completely treatable, a positive test for this disease should not stop you from being admitted to the university. However, you should get treated as soon as possible; ask your doctor what kind of medication is most appropriate for the type of malaria you have.

Joint Pain and Malaria

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QUESTION

Could an onset of joint pain and swelling plus hurting all over be a residual for someone who has had malaria?

ANSWER

Once someone has been treated for malaria, they should not experience any further residual effects, particularly if the infection was uncomplicated and treated using oral medication. Joint pain, swelling and pain could well be indications of another infection, and so medical advice should be sought immediately.

Spleen Enlargement with Malaria

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QUESTION

Will malaria present without splenic enlargement?

ANSWER

Splenomegaly is commonly one of the early and consistent signs of malaria, with the spleen being palpable sometimes as early as the first paroxysm but usually becoming noticeable after the first week of illness. However, absence of splenic enlargement does not eliminate malaria as the cause of illness, and a blood test should be used to confirm diagnosis.

Does Malaria Still Exist?

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QUESTION

does malaria still exist?

ANSWER

Yes, malaria still exists, and is responsible for 250 million cases of illness every year, of which about 700,000 result in death. So it is a very serious global health problem!

Some countries, such as the United States, have managed to successfully eliminate malaria through a combination of vector control strategies (i.e. spraying for mosquitoes, reducing the presence of water bodies where mosquitoes breed, etc) and better health infrastructure for diagnosis and treatment. This strategy has also been successful in other settings, such as the Mediterranean and much of the Middle East, as well as even in some high transmission tropical settings such as Malaysia (particularly in urban areas).

The widespread distribution of long-lasting insecticide treated bednets has further assisted in malaria prevention in high transmission areas. However, much of the rest of the world is still struggling to control malaria, though the number of deaths is dropping every year, and some organisations hope to reduce malaria mortality to zero by the year 2015.

If you have taken medications for malaria, please help Malaria.com by taking our Malaria Survey. Thank you!

Diagnosing Malaria

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QUESTION

Where in Malaysia (Kuala Lumpur) can I diagnose malaria? Is it possible within 24 hours?

ANSWER

Given that malaria is endemic in Malaysia (though not usually found in Kuala Lumpar) you should be able to get a malaria test at most clinics or hospitals. The most common test is a thick and thin blood film, read under the microscope by a qualified technician—in some places, clinics are also using rapid diagnostic tests (RDTs). Both of these methods are rapid to prepare and analyse—microscopy may take a couple of hours, depending on the business of the medical staff, whereas an RDT should be ready in about half an hour. In some areas, you can also buy RDTs over the counter at a pharmacy for self-testing.

Blood Test for Malaria

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QUESTION

I would like to know whether the malaria prevention medicine could impact the blood test result for malaria?
For example, if we did a blood test after taking the malaria prevention medicine, will the blood test result could be positive because of that and we are actually not having malaria parasite inside our body?

ANSWER

Malaria preventative medication should not give you a false positive test result – in other words, if you are on malaria medication and take a malaria blood test, if it says you are positive, then you probably have malaria! Anti-malaria medication prevents malaria from establishing in your blood, and it is very effective if taken correctly, but there are instances in which someone taking anti-malarials still gets malaria. In these cases, the anti-malarials will often ensure than the severity of the infection is greatly reduced – it can also delay the onset of symptoms.

If you have taken medications for malaria, please help Malaria.com by taking our Malaria Medication Side-effects Survey: Treatment and Prophylaxis. Thank you!

Is it Common to Die of Malaria?

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QUESTION

is it common to die of malaria? Why? Why not?

ANSWER

Thankfully, these days it is not very common to die from malaria. Out of an estimated 250 million cases of malaria around the world every year, there are only about 700,000 fatalities. However, 700,000 deaths every year is still a lot!

If left undiagnosed and untreated, malaria can progress very rapidly and be a very serious disease. This is particular true of Plasmodium falciparum, a specific type of malaria which is found throughout tropical regions in South America, Africa and Asia.

It is dangerous because it reproduces very rapidly in the body and can cause red blood cells to clog up inside blood vessels in organs, restricted blood flow. When this occurs in blood vessels in the brain, the patient may suffer “cerebral malaria,” which can rapidly lead to loss of consciousness, coma and even death if not treated promptly.

The people most at risk from malaria are children under the age of 5 and pregnant women, and so it is particularly important for these people to seek medical care very quickly if they suspect they have malaria.

On a positive note, deaths from malaria are becoming less common around the world due to a number of factors. First of all, there have been many very successful prevention strategies, for example through distribution of long-lasting insecticide treated bednets to at-risk communities living in malaria endemic regions. Indoor residual spraying with insecticides have also drastically reduced the number of mosquitoes in households where this procedure has been carried out, thus reducing transmission. Moreover, improvements to point-of-care diagnostics and other health infrastructures have enabled poor people in developing countries to have access to ways in which their infections can be diagnosed, and then given the appropriate treatment. All of these measures have brought the number of annual deaths down from 1 million just a few years ago to 700,000 today.

The goal is yet more ambitious: organisations such as Malaria No More seek to eliminate deaths from malaria, all over the world, by the year 2015. So, we hope in 2015 we can add to this answer by saying it is now very rare indeed to die from malaria!

Long term health effects of malaria when young?

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QUESTION

I’m trying to find out if having malaria at a young age can have long term effects on health.

Around 25 years ago when I was 4 years old I contracted malaria when living in central Africa. Unfortunately I do not know the type of malaria, only that I received medication and recovered without complications.

Over the last few years I’ve had a general feeling of poor health and fatigue. Blood tests indicate I have some level of liver damage but I’m at a loss for the cause.

Is there any chance of having picked up liver damage (or other long term effects) from contracting malaria at a young age?

ANSWER

There is little evidence for any long term complications associated with uncomplicated malaria infection. One thing to investigate might be the type of malaria you had as a child; Plasmodium vivax and Plasmodium ovale, while not as common as Plasmodium falciparum in Central Africa, both occur in this region, and differ from P. falciparum in that they can have a dormant liver stage.

While I still have not heard of liver problems being associated with dormant malaria parasites, it is conceivable that if you had one of these two types of malaria and did not have the liver stages treated, you might later feel some ill effects; relapse from P. vivax has been known to occur decades after the initial infection. The good news is that there is a drug available, called primaquine, which can kill these liver stages (known as hypnozoites). So, if you know you had P. vivax or P. ovale, you could mention this possibility to your doctor—prior to taking primaquine you should have a test for G6DP deficiency, as such as deficiency makes it dangerous to take this medication.

If you have ever taken anti-malaria medication, please take Malaria.com’s brief Malaria Medication Side-effects Survey: Treatment and Prophylaxis.

Will Malaria Test Work with No Symptoms Present?

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QUESTION

I believe my fiance who lives in Kenya has malaria but refuses to go for a test. She has headaches and now flu like symptoms. I am returning in late December, if the symptoms have gone can I still take her for a blood test to see if malaria is still present even if the symptoms subside?

ANSWER

Most malaria diagnosis in Kenya is done by looking at a small sample of the patient’s blood under the microscope. Unfortunately, using this method, it is almost impossible to detect malaria that is non-symptomatic. In this case, one option would be to use a rapid diagnostic test which looks for antibodies in the blood against malaria – as these antibodies can sometimes persist after the infection has subsided, it can sometimes tell you whether that person recently had malaria. These rapid diagnostic tests are available in most of the main cities in Kenya, in larger pharmacies, and maybe even in some big supermarkets like Nakumatt. However, given how rapidly malaria can progress and how serious is can become, I would highly recommend that your girlfriend goes to a clinic or doctor and has a malaria test! That way she can receive treatment early, before her symptoms get worse.

Malaria and the Brain

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QUESTION

How long does it take malaria to reach your brain?

ANSWER

The process by which malaria affects the brain is complicated, and the amount of time also varies. First of all, only one species of malaria parasite is associated with the brain – this is Plasmodium falciparum, the most deadly form of malaria. It is dangerous because when it infects red blood cells, it makes them “sticky,” so that they become lodged in the small blood vessels in the body’s organs. This process is called sequestration, and results in reduced blood flow to the organs, which can result in further complications.

When infected red blood cells sequester in the brain, the result is so-called “cerebral malaria,” which can lead to impaired consciousness, coma and even death. P. falciparum reproduces rapidly, so if not treated promptly, cerebral manifestations of the infection could appear within a matter of a few days of the initial onset of malaria symptoms. The good news is that treatment is very safe and effective, especially when started early, so when malaria is suspected as the possible cause of an illness, a blood test should be performed immediately to test for malaria, and also to determine if the species is P. falciparum.

If you have taken medications for malaria, please help Malaria.com by taking our Malaria Medication Side-effects Survey: Treatment and Prophylaxis. Thank you!