QUESTION For how long does this vaccine work? ANSWER There is not yet a commercially available vaccine against malaria. Recently, results were published (in the New England Journal of Medicine - press releases and news reports about the study are available through the main page of www.malaria.com) presenting preliminary findings of the first Phase 3 clinical trial for a vaccine, called … [Read more...]
Is it just a cold?
QUESTION I came back from a Kenya safari and Mombasa beach holiday 21 days ago. I took my malaria tablets as prescribed, and only got 5 bites on my last morning. Since yesterday, I have been feeling hot then cold, though not shivering or overly sweating. A headache which is constantly there. I have also today been sick after eating/drinking. Feeling really tired. Also sore throat and … [Read more...]
How was Plasmodium Falciparum AMA1 Discovered?
QUESTION: Plasmodium falciparum AMA1 was discovered how? ANSWER: AMA1 stands for "apical membrane antigen 1", and it is a protein expressed in the cell membrane of the P. falciparum parasites. Whereas many of these antigenic proteins are highly variable between parasites, this one appears to be relatively well conserved in evolutionary terms, and therefore is a leading drug target … [Read more...]
Chloroquine Resistant Malaria
QUESTION What is chloroquine resistant malaria? ANSWER Chloroquine-resistant malaria is exactly what it sounds like—particular types of malaria which are not cured by treatment with chloroquine. Chloroquine was first discovered in the 1930s in Germany and began to be widely used as an anti-malaria post-World War II, in the late 1940s. However, resistance to the drug also rapidly … [Read more...]
Examination of Malaria Parasite
QUESTION How can you examine malaria parasites? ANSWER Malaria parasites are usually examined under a microscope using a peripheral blood smear method (also called a blood film). Thick blood smears, which use a large unsmeared drop of blood, are sensitive since a large number of red blood cells can be examined, though the parasites, if present, are difficult to distinguish … [Read more...]
Anti-Malarial Tablets for Kenya
QUESTION Which are the best tablets to take against malaria in Kenya? Is there a malaria vaccination? ANSWER I'll answer your second question first—no, there does not yet exist a commercially available malaria vaccine. Currently, one promising vaccine candidate is undergoing Phase 3 clinical trials in children in sub-Saharan Africa; recently published preliminary findings suggest … [Read more...]
Years of ill health – could it be malaria-related?
QUESTION I wonder if I have a long term relapsing form of malaria and would really appreciate your advice. I have worked coming and going between the UK and Kenya, Ethiopia and Eritrea for about 17 years in aid/international development (rural and urban areas). I stopped travelling to the region about 2 years ago. One of the reasons to stop this work was my poor health. Since about 15 … [Read more...]
What are mosquito larvae?
QUESTION What are mosquito larvae? ANSWER Larvae are one of the life stages of mosquitoes; they are baby mosquitoes, if you will. Adult mosquitoes lay eggs as a "raft" on the surface of a body of fresh water—they prefer still and stagnant pools. These eggs then hatch into the mosquito larvae, which live in the freshwater pool until they form a pupa, just under the surface. These … [Read more...]
Schizont
QUESTION What is a schizont? ANSWER A schizont is a malaria parasite which has matured and contains many merozoites, which are the parasite stage that infects red blood cells. Schizonts can be produces during two separate phases of the life cycle within the human host: first in the hepatocytic cells in the liver (when sporozoites mature) during the exo-erythrocytic cycle and then … [Read more...]
How to Prevent Malaria
QUESTION How to prevent malaria? ANSWER Despite its wide geographic range and potentially severe consequences, there are actually several effective strategies for controlling malaria, many of which have been successful of reducing the burden of the disease, and especially the number of deaths, in various regions. The first step towards control is prevention. This has largely been … [Read more...]