QUESTION: What is the number of Malaria patients in West Bengal? ANSWER: West Bengal is one of the states considered highly endemic for malaria in India. In 1998, cases in West Bengal comprised approximately 6% of the total number of cases of all malaria in India (corresponding to 129,000 of the total 2.15 million cases reported that year), and approximately 3% of the cases of Plasmodium … [Read more...]
White Blood Cells and Malaria
QUESTION Does malaria cause loss of white blood cells / antibodies? ANSWER The parasites that cause malaria reproduce in the human host by infecting red blood cells, then multiplying asexually and bursting out into the bloodstream, ready to infect more red blood cells. As such, malaria parasites do not destroy white blood cells. However, patients with malaria may display reduced white … [Read more...]
Can malaria parasites pass to children through breast milk?
QUESTION: Can breast milk transfer malaria parasites from a mother to the child? ANSWER: No. Malaria parasites cannot be transferred via breast milk. However, there is evidence that some antimalarial drugs can pass through breast milk, with unknown effects on the infant; as such, it is not recommended that breast feeding mothers take certain antimalarial drugs. Studies in rats have … [Read more...]
How soon can malaria occur a second time?
QUESTION: My son is studying in Tanzania and was diagnosed June 28, 2011 with malaria while taking Malarone. He took Duo-Cotecxin as prescribed for treatment and was feeling much better. He was given a "clear" blood test result. He started taking Malarone July 16, 2011 and on June 18, 2011 was ill again and diagnosed with malaria a second time in less than 6 weeks. Can malaria occur in … [Read more...]
Primaquine for Malaria Treatment
QUESTION: In India what is the duration of primaquine therapy in confirmed Malaria infection? ANSWER: Primaquine is usually used to kill the hypnozoite stages of Plasmodium vivax or P. ovale. This life stage of the malaria parasite can reside, dormant in the liver's hepatocyte cells, even after the patient has completed the normal course of treatment for the infection; at this stage, the … [Read more...]
What is the malaria antigen test?
QUESTION: How does the malaria antigen test work? After how many days presence of malaria can antigens be detected in the blood ? Is it posible to detect antigens on the first day of fever ? ANSWER: The malaria antigen test works by detecting antigens in the blood which are released by the parasite. The antigens are usually LDH (lactate dehydrogenase) or HRP2 (Histidine-rich protein 2). … [Read more...]
Malaria cure?
QUESTION: How do you cure malaria? ANSWER: There are a number of different types of treatment for malaria, depending on the kind you have and its severity. Most cases of malaria can be treated with orally administered medication; it is only in the most severe cases, for example if the patient is already in a coma or has had multiple convulsions, that intravenous medication is given. … [Read more...]
What are the treatment options for malaria?
QUESTION: What is the treatment for Malaria? ANSWER: There are a number of different types of treatment for malaria, depending on the kind you have and its severity. Most cases of malaria can be treated with orally administered medication; it is only in the most severe cases, for example if the patient is already in a coma or has had multiple convulsions, that intravenous medication is … [Read more...]
Is Malaria Deadly?
QUESTION: Can malaria come back, and is it deadly? ANSWER: In some cases, and if not treated properly, malaria can come back. One example of when malaria comes back is when the infection is not completely cleared from the blood, for example if the full course of treatment is not taken. This is more common with Plasmodium falciparum malaria, as it can multiply rapidly in the blood. This … [Read more...]
Malaria untreatable?
QUESTION: I just want to find out what can cause malaria to be untreatable because have been injected (13) times and no changes. What can cause it, and i need a drug name that can take care it. ANSWER: Treatment for malaria is very rarely in the form of an injection, so I suspect you are not being treated appropriately. Malaria is caused by being bitten by a mosquito infected with … [Read more...]