Malaria in Cape Verde

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QUESTION

Do you need to take Malaria Tablets in SAL Cape-Verde?

ANSWER

The risk of malaria in Cape Verde is very low. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in the US do not recommend taking antimalarials during visits there. In fact, the only part of Cape Verde where a few cases of malaria have been reported is Saõ Tiago Island, so if you visit there, you may just want to be careful and make sure you don’t get bitten by mosquitoes, for example by wearing insect repellent and long-sleeved clothing at night and in the evenings.

CDC Warns of Imported Malaria – U.S. Cases Reach 40 Year High

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Increase underscores importance of taking recommended medicines to prevent malaria when traveling

In 2011, 1,925 malaria cases were reported in the United States, according to data published in a supplement of the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR) released today by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). This number is the highest since 1971, more than 40 years ago, and represents a 14% increase since 2010. Five people in the U.S. died from malaria or associated complications.

Almost all of the malaria cases reported in the U.S. were acquired overseas. More than two-thirds (69%) of the cases were imported from Africa, and nearly two-thirds (63%) of those were acquired in West Africa. For the first time, India was the country from which the most cases were imported. Cases showed seasonal peaks in January and August.

“Malaria isn’t something many doctors see frequently in the United States thanks to successful malaria elimination efforts in the 1940s,” said CDC Director Tom Frieden, M.D, M.P.H. “The increase in malaria cases reminds us that Americans remain vulnerable and must be vigilant against diseases like malaria because our world is so interconnected by travel.”

Malaria is caused by a parasite transmitted by the bite of an infective female Anopheles mosquito. In 2010, it caused an estimated 660,000 deaths and 219 million cases globally. The signs and symptoms of malaria illness are varied, but the majority of patients have fever. Other common symptoms include headache, back pain, chills, increased sweating, muscle pain, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and cough. Untreated infections can rapidly progress to coma, kidney failure, respiratory distress, and death.

“Malaria is preventable. In most cases, these illnesses and deaths could have been avoided by taking recommended precautions,” said Laurence Slutsker, M.D., M.P.H., director of CDC’s Division of Parasitic Diseases and Malaria. “We have made great strides in preventing and controlling malaria around the world. However, malaria persists in many areas and the use of appropriate prevention measures by travelers is still very important.”

Travelers to areas with malaria transmission can prevent the disease by taking steps such as use of antimalarial drugs, insect repellent, insecticide-treated bed nets, and protective clothing.

Travelers in the United States should consult a health-care provider prior to international travel to receive needed information, medications, and vaccines. CDC provides advice on malaria prevention recommendations on-line. If a traveler has symptoms of malaria, such as fever, headaches, and other flu-like symptoms, while abroad or on returning home, he or she should immediately seek diagnosis and treatment from a health-care provider.

Clinicians should consult the CDC Guidelines for Treatment of Malaria and contact CDC’s Malaria Hotline for case management advice, as needed. Malaria treatment recommendations can be obtained online or by calling the Malaria Hotline (770-488-7788 or toll-free at 855-856-4713).

Source: Centers for Disease Control (CDC)

Anopheles Mosquitoes and Malaria Transmission

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QUESTION

How are the Anopheles mosquitoes able to transmit human Malaria and others are not? What makes them different from the other genus of mosquito?

ANSWER

This is a great question and in fact scientists are not really sure of the answer. The ability of female Anopheles to transmit malaria is a quirk of evolutionary history. Other species of Plasmodium (the Latin genus name of the group of parasites which cause malaria), for example those that infect birds and lizards, are transmitted by other mosquitoes, such as Culex. When the parasite switched hosts and started infecting mammals, this coincided with the parasite specializing in infecting Anopheles mosquitoes, and this relationship has remained ever since. It is a case of what scientists term “coevolution”, where a parasite and its vector have a tightly coupled and highly specialized relationship.

Female Mosquitos and Malaria

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QUESTION

How come only the female mosquitoes can pass malaria?

ANSWER

Malaria is transmitted among humans by female mosquitoes of the genus Anopheles. Female mosquitoes need to bite people to get blood, in order  to carry out egg production.  These blood meals are the link between the human and the mosquito hosts in the parasite life cycle. Only female mosquitoes feed on blood, thus males do not transmit the disease.

Time Allowed for Malaria Treatment

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QUESTION

How long does a person have to get to a doctor if they suspect they may have malaria?

ANSWER

Once you suspect you have malaria (symptoms include very high fever, chills, head and body ache etc) you should seek care and have a blood smear done to identify the parasite. If not treated, malaria can quickly become life-threatening by disrupting the blood supply to vital organs. If not promptly treated, infection with one type of malaria, Plasmodium falciparum, may cause kidney failure, seizures, mental confusion, coma, and death.  It is best to prevent malaria, but once you have it it is essential to recognize the signs and symptoms of the disease in order to get early and appropriate treatment.

Bringing Malaria to the United States

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QUESTION

I was recently diagnosed with Malaria still waiting to find out what strand, but either got it in Uganda or Rwanda. I have recently came back to the states and have been bit by mosquito. I have already started to take some medication for it, but I am concerned about spreading the virus to others in the states including my family. Is it possible that if I still have the infection to spread it to others or in the states? If so what should I do.

ANSWER

There actually used to be malaria in the United States, particularly in the southern areas, but concerted mosquito control efforts as well as public health initiatives eradicated it in the 1950s. I don’t think you need to worry too much about transmitting malaria—once you are on treatment, the number of parasites in your blood drops dramatically and it becomes more difficult to transmit the parasite to a mosquito. Also, there are lots of types of mosquitoes in the US, and only those of the genus Anopheles can transmit malaria. As such, if you are concerned about spreading malaria, you should take precautions to protect yourself from mosquitoes especially at night and at dusk and dawn, as this is when Anopheles mosquitoes are most active. The type of mosquitoes which bite during the day usually belong to the genus Aedes, and cannot transmit malaria. During these high risk times of day, you should take care to wear long-sleeved clothing, and also wear insect repellent, preferably containing DEET.

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.

Is Malaria Transmitted by Female Mosquitoes?

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QUESTION

Is malaria caused by only female mosquitoes?

ANSWER

Malaria is only transmitted by female mosquitoes, yes. This is because only female mosquitoes of the genus Anopheles (the genus that transmits malaria in mammals, including humans) feed on blood, and the parasite that causes malaria (called Plasmodium) spends part of its life cycle in the blood. Therefore, when a female mosquito feeds on an infected person, when she sucks up their blood, she also takes up some of the Plasmodium parasites. These parasites mature inside the mosquito, and then, when the mosquito goes to bite another person, she passes some of the mature Plasmodium parasites into that new person’s blood while she feeds. The Plasmodium parasites may then be able to undergo further development in the new host, which may lead to the person experiencing a malaria infection. So, while technically female mosquitoes don’t cause malaria (since the disease is caused by the Plasmodium parasite), female mosquitoes are required to pass it between one person and another.

Malaria Transmission by Contact?

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QUESTION

If you come in contact with someone who has had malaria can you get it from them?

ANSWER

No. It is not transmissible directly between people. Most transmission of malaria occurs when a mosquito infected with the malaria parasites bites someone, who then may get malaria. In some cases, transfers of organs or large quantities of infected blood (such as during blood transfusion) may also result in transmission, though this is more rare, and screening of blood reduces the probability of it occurring. Malaria can also be transmitted from a mother if she has malaria to her unborn child via the placenta, or via blood during childbirth. This is called congenital malaria.

Malaria in South Africa

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QUESTION

What are the high, low and no-risk areas for malaria in South Africa?

ANSWER

Malaria has been successfully controlled in many parts of South Africa, with the result that most of the country is not at risk for malaria transmission. However, some pockets of higher risk remain in the north-eastern corner of South Africa (north-eastern KwaZulu-Natal, with the southern-most limit of transmission corresponding with the Tugela River, Limpopo (Northern) Province, and Mpumalanga Province). Malaria is also transmitted in Kruger National Park.