QUESTION How does Malaria become so dangerous? ANSWER Malaria in humans can be caused by a number of different parasites - the most dangerous, and the one which is responsible for over 90% of the worldwide deaths from malaria, is Plasmodium falciparum. The reason that P. falciparum is so dangerous is because it affects the behaviour of red blood cells. Red blood cells that are infected … [Read more...]
Lariam Side Effects
QUESTION My son is playing tennis in Rwanda, Africa. He feels terrible and I suspect it may be the Lariam. He has a fever and has been seeing stuff like snakes, etc. I am very worried as there is no doctor nearby. Is there anything to do to help him? The last Lariam he took was on Saturday. ANSWER Certainly Lariam is associated with some severe side effects, which include hallucinations … [Read more...]
Causes of Malaria
QUESTION What is malaria usually caused by? ANSWER Malaria is caused by a parasite called Plasmodium, which is transmitted via the bites of infected mosquitoes. In the human body, the parasites multiply in the liver, and then infect red blood cells. Usually, people get malaria by being bitten by an infective female Anopheles mosquito. Only Anopheles mosquitoes can transmit malaria and … [Read more...]
Number of Malaria Infections Per Mosquito
QUESTION How many people get malaria by one mosquito? ANSWER That is a very interesting question—the answer is that is varies between regions, and also depends on the type of mosquito. It was often believed that female mosquitoes (which feed on blood—males only feed on nectar) required a single blood meal in order to lay eggs and reproduce, and so would feed approximately once … [Read more...]
Where is Malaria Found?
QUESTION Where is malaria found? ANSWER Malaria is found throughout the world's tropical and sub-tropical areas, and mainly in Central and South America, Africa, Asia and the Indo-Pacific region. It is most common in tropical regions, where transmission occurs year-round; in sub-tropical and temperate areas, transmission may only occur during seasons that have appropriate climatic … [Read more...]
Malaria Recurrence
QUESTION My friend suffers malaria due to plasmodium falsciparum at least every two weeks. It has been treated with coartem, artequine, artesunate+fansida, quinine/quinimax since 2004 without any relief at all. It returns a week or two later and lab tests attest to same. What else should be done? ANSWER It is rare for someone living in an endemic area to suffer so regularly from … [Read more...]
How Does One Contract Malaria?
QUESTION How to get malaria? ANSWER Malaria is caused by a parasite called Plasmodium, which is transmitted via the bites of infected mosquitoes. In the human body, the parasites multiply in the liver, and then infect red blood cells. Usually, people get malaria by being bitten by an infective female Anopheles mosquito. Only Anopheles mosquitoes can transmit malaria and they must have … [Read more...]
Diagnosing Malaria
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 … [Read more...]
Malaria Transmission Through Sexual Contact
QUESTION Can i get malaria if i have sex with someone that has malaria? ANSWER No. Malaria cannot be sexually transmitted. In virtually all cases, malaria is transmitted through the bite of an infected mosquito, of the genus Anopheles. The mosquito passes the malaria parasite (there are several species which cause malaria in humans, all of the genus Plasmodium) through its saliva when it … [Read more...]
Mosquitoes and AIDS
QUESTION Can mosquito cause AIDS, and why? ANSWER No, HIV (the virus that causes AIDS) cannot be transmitted via mosquitoes. When the virus was first discovered, there was a fear that it could be transmitted via the blood ingested by mosquitoes as they feed between humans. However, it was shown very quickly that the virus was too unstable to survive within the mosquito, and so … [Read more...]