QUESTION What is the pathophysiology of malaria? ANSWER Malaria causes disease through a number of pathways, which depend to a certain extent on the species. Malaria is caused by a single-celled parasite of the genus Plasmodium; there are five species which infect humans, beingPlasmodium falciparum, P. vivax, P. ovale, P. malariae and P. knowlesi. All these species are introduced into … [Read more...]
Malarone and Mefloquine for Malaria
QUESTION Which drug is better for kids for anti-malaria - Malarone or Mefloquine. I have heard about lot of side-effects of Mefloquine. So, which is a safer drug out of these two or is there any other drug with no side-effects? Is it important to take anti-malaria pills keeping in mind the side-effects? ANSWER Both drugs are considered safe for children, though Malarone … [Read more...]
What Causes Malaria
QUESTION What are the causes of malaria? ANSWER Malaria is caused by infection with certain single-celled parasites of the genus Plasmodium. Specifically, there are five species which infect humans: P. falciparum (the most severe and dangerous form of malaria), P. vivax, P. ovale, P. malariae and P. knowlesi. The symptoms of the disease occur when the parasite enters the blood stream … [Read more...]
Number of Species of Malaria
QUESTION I recently read an ISOS world malaria day poster saying 5 species of plasmodium cause malaria. I think that is confusing as we always talked about 4, ovale, vivax, falciparum and malaria....are they referring to the way we now split ovale into 2 sub species? or is this a typo on their part? ANSWER That is a really interesting question, and a good observation on your part! I … [Read more...]
Repeated Malaria Cases, New Guinea
QUESTION Hello, I live in Papua New Guinea. Myself, my wife and my 2 kids (both under 4 years old), get diagnosed with malaria approximately 3-4 times a year, usually vivax or falciparum. Our GP uses a prick of blood and examines under a microscope. Is it that easy/obvious to diagnose under this method and is it common to get this many attacks in a year? I also fear the affects of taking … [Read more...]
Coartem Treatment
QUESTION my husband has been taking coartem for 3 days now. He was fine yesterday and then last night the symptoms re-appeared like it was day one. Can I carry on with coartem and start another course? Or shall I switch to something else ? If so, what? We live in zambia by the way. Thank you for your help. ANSWER If your husband still has strong symptoms after taking all doses of the … [Read more...]
World Malaria Day Date
QUESTION What is the background of 25 April to be celebrated as World Malaria Day? Why just 25 April? ANSWER World Malaria Day was instituted by the World Health Assembly at its 60th meeting in May 2007. As far as I know, the choice of April 25th was arbitrary - it was almost a full year after the instituting assembly meeting, perhaps intending to give the organizers plenty of time to … [Read more...]
Malaria in Kitwe Zambia
QUESTION Is it dangerous for my children two years old in Kitwe? ANSWER Kitwe has been part of the Roll Back Malaria campaign to control malaria in Zambia—the program has been very successful, reducing deaths by malaria by over 65% nationwide. However, there still is a risk of contracting malaria in most parts of the country, and so preventative measures should be taken when … [Read more...]
Anopheles Mosquito
QUESTION What does Anopheles looks like? ANSWER Mosquitoes of the genus Anopheles are responsible for all transmission of malaria in mammals, including to humans. They are night-feeding mosquitoes, usually biting between dusk and dawn, though they may also be active during the day in heavily shaded environments. Like all mosquitoes, Anopheles are usually found either as freshwater … [Read more...]
Anopheles Mosquito
QUESTION Why is it only the female anopheles mosquito alone can cause malaria but not the male anopheles mosquito or any other mosquitoes? ANSWER Malaria is actually caused by a single-celled parasite called Plasmodium—it is transmitted via the bite of a female mosquito, of the genus Anopheles, as she takes a blood meal from a human (or other mammal) host. Male mosquitoes do not … [Read more...]