QUESTION We are traveling in Phrae and Nan (in Thailand) in the period of December-Januar. Is there any risk for malaria. We are travelling with kids (9 months, 6 and 8 year) and want to avoid risky areas. Can we travel safely in that region? Thank you for your reply. ANSWER Thanks for your question. Phrae and Nan are two districts in northern Thailand—the latter shares a border … [Read more...]
Antimalarial Drug Therapeutic Life
QUESTION Why do some antimalarial drugs have long therapeutic life while others have short therapeutic lives? ANSWER Different anti-malarial drugs target slightly different aspects of the malaria Plasmodium parasite, and so are made with different chemical structures. The differences in therapeutic life across different malaria drugs has to do with the specific pharmacokinetic … [Read more...]
Child with Fever – Malaria Symptoms?
QUESTION Three yrs old boy having fever every 20 days for past 5 times. Remains for 2-3 days. Can it be malaria? Never got blood tested. ANSWER Recurrence of malaria every 20 days is not that common, but could be caused by two different events: (1) true relapse, whereby the boy is infected with either Plasmosium vivax or Plasmodium ovale, and the parasite is disappearing from his blood … [Read more...]
My Malaria Refuses to Go Away
QUESTION The symptoms started about 2 months ago and I have used all kind of drugs. I have completed lumartem dose twice and I have used Coartem, I even took chloroquine injection and I am well for a few days and it comes back to the way it use to be, because of so many antibiotics I have taken I now have swellings in my body and in my leg and its making my leg ache and making walking … [Read more...]
Malaria Medication Side Effects
QUESTION My mother is an old patient of arthritis. She has also had a long stint with asthma and tuberculosis. She has presently been diagnosed with urine infection but was treated with malaria medicines artesunate and primaquine phosphate. What side effects could she possibly develop by wrong administration of malaria medicines? ANSWER Luckily there are few major side effects associated … [Read more...]
How soon can I take Coartem if I suspect Malaria?
QUESTION Does one have to wait for the symptoms of Malaria to show before taking Coartem? Will the Coartem still be effective in killing the malaria before it has entered the red blood cells and the fever has broken? ANSWER I believe that Coartem is only effective against the blood form of the parasite, hence why it is not effective in treating the liver forms of Plasmodium vivax and … [Read more...]
Can malaria affect one’s mental fitness?
QUESTION Can malaria affect ones mental fitness? ANSWER Given that malaria is often associated with severe fever and flu-like illness, I would say that is usually enough to prevent someone from feeling completely mentally fit! However, in addition to these general symptoms, there are other specific ways in which malaria can affect a patient's mind. With a particular type of malaria, … [Read more...]
Cyclical Fever
QUESTION My husband has been suffering from recurring fever every 3rd or 4th day for the past 7 months. All blood tests are normal, esr ,crp, cultures of urine and blood all normal, chest ct full body pet heart echo all normal. Tested positive for montoux and quantiferon gold, with no symptom other than fever, was put on ATT on 4th JULY 2011 fever persists with no other symptoms. Has been on … [Read more...]
Malaria Symptoms, Cures, and Prevention
QUESTION What is malaria cure, prevention, symptom and course? ANSWER I am not sure what you mean by "course" - however, links to information on malaria treatment, prevention and symptoms can be found on the main page of our website. For your convenience, I have provided them here: Information on malaria prevention Information on malaria symptoms and causes As for malaria … [Read more...]
Malaria Symptoms When Underweight
QUESTION Can symptoms appear earlier when you are underweight? ANSWER The timing of the presentation of symptoms depend on the intensity of the infective dose, the type of malaria, your levels of natural immunity and whether you were taking anti-malarial medication. Your weight is unlikely to affect the timing of the disease, though other medical conditions, such as immune status, which … [Read more...]