QUESTION: When a person is ill he or she will have what symptoms? 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, … [Read more...]
Malaria Treatment
QUESTION: Is there any treatment for malaria? ANSWER: Yes, treatment is available for malaria and most cases can be cured easily if diagnosed accurately and early. There are several different drugs that are used to treat malaria, and different modes of ingestion. Most cases of malaria can be treated effectively with oral drugs, usually artemisinin-based combination therapies (which … [Read more...]
Does malaria affect population vigour?
QUESTION: How is malaria affecting population vigour at present? ANSWER: If I understand your question correctly, you are asking if malaria affects the well-being of populations. In answer, malaria is an extremely debilitating disease in many populations around the world, and is known to severely affect population vigour. People infected with malaria are likely to miss work or school, … [Read more...]
How long has malaria existed?
QUESTION: How long has malaria been going on? ANSWER: The answer to your question depends on the kind of malaria as well as how exactly you define 'malaria'. The parasites which cause all forms of malaria, in humans as well as other mammals and birds, belong to a group called Plasmodium; scientists believe, based on genetic information, that this genus evolved around 130 million years … [Read more...]
Diet Therapy for Malaria?
QUESTION: Is there any tested and proven diet therapy for acute malaria? What food nutrients are essential for prevention of malaria? And what are their food sources? ANSWER: Thanks for your question, Ekuma. I am not aware of any proven and scientifically tested diet therapy for acute malaria, apart from that which is recommended for all severe fevers, which is to hydrate regularly and … [Read more...]
What will happen if malaria is not controlled?
QUESTION: In the future, if malaria is not controlled, what will happen? ANSWER: This is actually a really important question. Malaria already kills more than one million people each year, with probably around 3.3 billion people at risk from infection. This number will just increase as the world's population grows, unless successful control measures are implemented. Moreover, climate … [Read more...]
What is Malaria?
QUESTION: What is malaria? ANSWER: Malaria is a disease caused by a parasitic single-celled animal known as Plasmodium. There are different species of Plasmodium, which cause different kinds of malaria. The parasite is transmitted by certain species of mosquito; the parasite lives in the human blood stream and so goes in to the mosquito when the insect feeds. When the same individual … [Read more...]
What age can be affected by malaria?
QUESTION: A child of what age can be affected from cerebral malaria or malaria? ANSWER: People of all ages can be affected by malaria, which is what makes it such a public health burden in so many places. Severe symptoms of the disease, such as the manifestation of cerebral malaria that you mention, can also be seen in children of all ages as well as adults. However, generally, younger … [Read more...]
Where does malaria appear?
QUESTION: Where does malaria first appears on the body? ANSWER: That's a very interesting question! You could say that malaria first appears in the blood, since that is how the parasite enters the human body—it passes into our bloodstream when an infected mosquito penetrates the skin to feed on blood. The life cycle below, courtesy of CDC, explains more about the next stages of … [Read more...]
Malaria Treatment While Pregnant?
QUESTION: 1) I am two months pregnant. Please, what drug can I use to treat malaria? 2) How often should I treat malaria? ANSWER: The specific answer to your question depends a bit on whether you believe you are already actively infected with malaria (in other words, you are feeling ill right now, or have done recently) or if you would like information on preventing malaria … [Read more...]