QUESTION I was in Lagos, Nigeria and i was bitten. I had stomach ache and diarrhea for a day then back to normal. Just for precaution I checked my blood and the doc said that I have a mild malaria in my blood and he gave me a medicine. If i have malaria can I affect or transmit the malaria to other people like my friends or my wife by the saliva or by any means? ANSWER No, you cannot … [Read more...]
Treatment of recurrent Malaria
QUESTION If one takes the first dose of Coartem and tests indicate presence of malaria parasites,is it advisable to take a second round of coartem, or to start on quinine? Is quinine usually administered on its own or in conjunction with another drug? At what point is malaria considered complicated? ANSWER Usually, if a first round of treatment is unsuccessful, a doctor will prescribe a … [Read more...]
Dormant Malaria
QUESTION I was bitten by mosquitoes many years ago and I was wondering can the symptoms lie dormant for as long as 40 years? The reason I am asking is that every summer I am ill with several of these symptoms. I do not have a good immune system. ANSWER There are a couple of types of malaria, namely Plasmodium vivax and Plasmodium ovale, which can lie dormant for many years, and often … [Read more...]
Malaria and Weight Loss
QUESTION Can malaria make you lose weight? Can malaria cause itching in the body. ANSWER Since malaria is often associated with extreme nausea and high fever, this can often cause people to lose their appetite and not eat properly while they are experiencing infection, leading to weight loss. However malaria is usually quite an acute infection, lasting a few days to at most a few … [Read more...]
Massage Therapy and Malaria
QUESTION What massage therapy has helped with malaria and what effects did it have on the patient? ANSWER As far as I am aware, massage therapy has never been shown to have any positive effects on malaria infection. If a patient has malaria, they must receive medical treatment, either in the form of oral tablets or if the disease has already progressed to a severe state, intravenous … [Read more...]
Malaria Parasite
QUESTION Which parasite transmits malaria? ANSWER Malaria is caused by a parasite called Plasmodium, which is transmitted via the bite of an infected mosquito. The parasite passes into the blood of the human patient when the mosquito bites, via its saliva. There are five species of Plasmodium which normally infect humans: P. falciparum, P. malariae, P. ovale, P. vivax and P. knowlesi. … [Read more...]
Malaria Statistics for Past Ten Years
What are the key statistics for global malaria over the past decade? ANSWER The World Health Organization's World Malaria Report summarizes global malaria burden, including trends in mortality rates and economic impact. Here are selected figures from the 2011 report. Estimated malaria cases, 2010 Globally: 216 million Africa: 174 million Americas: 1 million Eastern Mediterranean: … [Read more...]
Malaria with Liver and Kidney Problems
QUESTION Can someone please tell me what kind of malaria this is. What part of the body it attacks, e.g., cerebral? Patient presenting with liver and kidney "problems". What could these be? ANSWER I am not sure I fully understand your question, but the type of malaria which is associated with cerebral malaria, and also tends to have the most adverse effects on other organs (such as the … [Read more...]
Malaria in Myanmar (Burma)
QUESTION Is Malaria an issue in Myanmar where I am going in June? ANSWER from Malaria.com Editor YES. Malaria is a risk in all rural areas of the country below 1,000 meters of altitude (anything below 3300 feet). Rangoon/Yangon and Mandalay do not have malaria. You should take medication to prevent malaria (prophylaxis) throughout your stay, and also protect yourself from getting … [Read more...]
Discovery of Malaria
QUESTION Who was the discoverer of malaria? ANSWER Malaria has been known to humans since ancient times, though what exactly caused it and how it was transmitted was not known. The parasite which causes malaria, from the genus Plasmodium, was first observed in the blood of a patient who had died from the disease by Charles Louis Alphonse Laveran, a French physician working in Algeria. … [Read more...]