QUESTION: Why is a vaccine against malaria seen as the main hope for the future? ANSWER: This answer is courtesy of a medical doctor assisting us with answering your questions. A vaccine is seen as the great hope for the future because the malaria parasite has an extraordinary talent for developing resistance very rapidly against each class of drug that is introduced into the arsenal … [Read more...]
Plasmodium gene map
QUESTION: Gene map of plasmodium ANSWER: This paper, which is freely accessible online, has published a genome-wide gene map for Plasmodium. … [Read more...]
Clinical malaria, taking chloroquine
QUESTION: Patient having malaria. Taking chloroquine. Then temp becomes normal but headache occurred. What to do? ANSWER: One of our collaborating medical doctors kindly assisted in answering this question. She suggests more clinical information is required; what type of malaria is the chloroquine being used for, for example? Also, the headache should not be from the drug, suggesting … [Read more...]
Diagnosis of malaria or another condition?
QUESTION: Patient is responding to malaria intravenous medicines but the blood test are not showing any strains of malaria parasites. Is it possible it is malaria or some other disease? ANSWER: I'm afraid it is hard to answer this without more information regarding what steps have been taken to diagnose infection, what medication is being given, and what other clinical information is … [Read more...]
Malaria symptoms
QUESTION: What are the symptoms? ANSWER: Symptoms of malaria include fever and flu-like illness, including shaking chills, headache, muscle aches, and tiredness. Nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea may also occur. Malaria may cause anemia and jaundice (yellow coloring of the skin and eyes) because of the loss of red blood cells. Symptoms usually appear between 10 and 15 days after the mosquito … [Read more...]
Can malaria cause kidney failure?
QUESTION: Can malaria be a cause for kidney failure or brain fever? ANSWER: Malaria, and specifically Plasmodium falciparum malaria, the most severe and deadly form of the disease, can certainly cause both renal failure and brain fever. It usually does this by infecting red blood cells, which then become blocked in tiny blood vessels deep within organs. This process is called … [Read more...]
What is “Pf” and “Pv” in relation to malaria?
QUESTION: What is pf and pv? ANSWER: "Pf" stands for Plasmodium falciparum and "Pv" stands for Plasmodium vivax. These are two different species of the parasite that causes malaria in humans. Pf causes the most acute, severe form of the disease, which can have a cerebral manifestation ("cerebral malaria") and causes the most deaths worldwide. Pv is still a serious disease, but usually … [Read more...]
Origin of Malaria
QUESTION: What is the origin of malaria? ANSWER: Malaria is caused by a single-celled parasite called Plasmodium; different species cause the different forms of malaria we see in different parts of the world. Malaria has been in existence for millions of years; it likely evolved from similar infections in other apes. Ancient people recognised the symptoms of malaria as early as 2700 BCE, … [Read more...]
Recurring Malaria Long Term Effects
QUESTION: Hi, my husband is an expat working in Mozambique for the past 5 years. He has been diagnosed with malaria 9 times, what are the long term effects of this and is he just unlucky or do others also get infected often? thanks. ANSWER: If the proper precautions are not taken, then it is very easy to get infected with malaria multiple times; I have one Ugandan colleague who claims he … [Read more...]
Treatment for Pregnant Woman with P. Vivax Malaria
QUESTION: A pregnant woman has vivax malaria what treatment should be given in case of relapse? ANSWER: Primaquine, the usual drug given to prevent relapse of P. vivax malaria, is not recommended for pregnant women due to inadequate information about its safety. As such, it is normally recommended to treat the relapses with chloroquine, to cure each malarial episode, until after delivery … [Read more...]