ABOUT MALARIA

What is Malaria ?

A plasmodium type single celled protozoan causes this disease in humans and other animals. Malaria is a mosquito borne, female Anopheles, borne disease and is induced by a bite and transmission of causative organism in victim's blood stream.

Malaria is most commonly transmitted by an infected female Anopheles mosquito. This mosquito bite transmits the malaria parasite, Plasmodium type from the infected mosquito saliva to a person's blood. Then this parasite travels to the human's liver to nest there. There they mature and reproduce.

Five species of Plasmodium has been found to infect humans with Malaria. P. Falciparum is the fatal species causing death in humans. P. Vivax, P. Ovale, P.Malarae, and P.Knowlesi are mild types and are treatable.

Symptoms

Malaria symptoms include high fever, shivering, headache, vomiting, and fatigue. In very severe cases the patient's skin turns yellow, seizures, coma and even death. Symptoms appear generally after ten to fifteen days after being bitten by an infected mosquito. Malaria can have recurrences if not properly treated and the parasite fully eradicated from patient's body.

Diagnosis

Malaria diagnosis is first based on the typical symptoms. The diagnosis is pathologically confirmed by microscopic examination of the patient's blood. A blood film of the infected person's blood reveals the presence of Plasmodium type protozoan's in blood. This is confirmation of Malaria in the patient. Further polymerase chain reaction test to detect DNA of the parasite confirms the type of Plasmodium in blood to direct the treatment in Malaria.

Treatment

The ideal treatment of Malaria is Quinine given orally to the patient. But with time, many cases of resistant Malaria or P. Falciparum infection call for newer drugs. Drugs like Mefloquine, Lumifantrine, combination drug of sulphadoxine pyrimethamine, Quinine with Doxycycline have been found very effective in problem cases of Malaria. Artemesinine is also a drug of choice in treating Malaria.

Drug resistance is very common in Malaria infested locations. Quinine replacement drug, Chloroquine is found to be a complete failure in resistant strains of P. Falciparum Malaria. Artemesinine is also becoming fast resistant to P.falciparum.

Location

Malaria is wide spread in tropical and sub tropical regions that exists around the equator. This includes sub Saharan Africa, Asia and Latin America. In 2015, 214 million cases were reported worldwide. An estimated death toll was reported to be 438,000 people from Malaria. 90% deaths were reported in Africa. The growth rate of the disease is alarmingly 37% from year2000 to year 2014. 198 million cases increased in the year 2015 only.

Malaria is abundant in areas that are poverty stricken. It has a major negative growth impact on economy of those areas.

Prevention

There is no vaccine yet discovered to prevent Malaria. The risk of this disease can only be reduced by reducing chances of mosquito bites in humans. Preventive measures against mosquitoes are the only way to reduce Malaria. Use of mosquito nets or insect repellents is in house measures for mosquito control. Otherwise, stagnant water which is potential breeding grounds of mosquitoes must be dried out. Insecticides must be spread repeatedly in the area to keep the area mosquito free. Help of professional pest control can be a very big help in controlling Malaria.

For Malaria. Preventive precautions are most effective measures.