QUESTION In many West African countries where malaria attacks the general population of the people what is their dietary intake like? What are their foods or nutritional values? ANSWER In most West African countries, the diet is dominated by starchy tubers or grains, such as cassava, rice, sorghum and millet. This base foodstuff is often served alongside a vegetable or meat-based stew or … [Read more...]
How did it get the name “malaria”?
QUESTION How did malaria get its name? ANSWER The word "malaria" comes from Italian, "mala aria" which literally translates to "bad air". This came from the ancient association, traced back as far as the ancient Greeks and Romans, that the disease was associated with swampy, marshy areas where the air smelled bad. The mechanism of transmission was not known back then, nor did they … [Read more...]
What is Malaria?
QUESTION What is malaria? ANSWER Malaria is a disease caused by parasites of the genus Plasmodium. Transmitted by mosquitoes, there are several different kinds of malaria distributed throughout the tropical and sub-tropical regions of the world, causing somewhere between 300-500 million cases of disease each year, and as many as 1 million deaths. In fact, malaria is one of the biggest … [Read more...]
Who introduced malaria in which century?
QUESTION Who introduced malaria in which century, how does it cause malaria and what is the virus' name? ANSWER Malaria wasn't introduced; it has been evolving alongside humans for thousands, if not millions of years. The first known mention of malaria by humans is in an ancient Chinese medical text, from 2700 BCE (before common era). Other ancient people, such as the Romans and the … [Read more...]
Signs of Malaria
Hello my question is how do I see malaria signs if i haven't gone to check yet? The key is to recognise whether you have any potential symptoms of malaria, or if you have been bitten a lot by mosquitoes recently and live in an area where malaria is present. Malaria can have many different symptoms, but the initial signs are similar to a flu-like illness, with high fever, chills, … [Read more...]
What is Malaria?
QUESTION What is it? ANSWER I have copied the below answer from an earlier question also asking what malaria is: Malaria is a disease caused by parasites of the genus Plasmodium. Transmitted by mosquitoes, there are several different kinds of malaria distributed throughout the tropical and sub-tropical regions of the world, causing somewhere between 300-500 million cases of disease … [Read more...]
How does oxygenated blood reach the brain?
QUESTION How does the oxygenated blood actually reach the brain??? ANSWER Two main artery pairs supply the brain with oxygenated blood from the lungs. These are the internal carotid arteries and the vertebral arteries. One of the major risks of infection with Plasmodium falciparum malaria is that the parasite induces red blood cells to sequester to the sides of small blood vessels in … [Read more...]
Malaria as a Global Issue
QUESTION How is malaria a global issue? ANSWER Malaria is a global issue because it is found all over the world, with people in 109 countries at everyday risk of infection and approximately 250 million cases every year. In fact, every year, cases of malaria are reported from every continent of the world apart from Antartica; moreover, there are concerns that in the face of climate change, … [Read more...]
Malaria Prevention and Hormones
QUESTION Is there any chance of opposing the malarial infection by hormones? If yes,then how is that done? ANSWER Malaria incidence is roughly equal between males and females, so it is not believed that sex hormones have any influence of infection rates. However, the progress of infection with respect to hormones has not been extensively studied. It is unlikely that hormonal supplements … [Read more...]
Symptoms of Malaria
QUESTION What are the main symptoms of malaria? ANSWER Malaria can have many different symptoms, but the initial signs are similar to a flu-like illness, with high fever, chills, headache and muscle soreness or aches. A characteristic sign of malaria is cyclical fever, with peaks of severity every two or three days. Additionally, some people will experience nausea, coughing, vomiting … [Read more...]