QUESTION: Do mosquitoes with malaria get sick like people do? ANSWER: That's a great question! As far as I know, the jury is still out in terms of what overall effect being infected with malaria has on mosquitoes, and to a large extent, it appears to vary due to lots of factors, such as the compatibility between the mosquito and the particular type of malaria parasite, the intensity of … [Read more...]
Drinking Milk While Infected with Malaria
QUESTION: Can a malaria-infected person drink milk? ANSWER: As far as I know, there isn't a problem with drinking milk while suffering from malaria. In fact, it is generally a good idea to keep as hydrated as possible while feverish (although water or diluted juice would probably be better for hydration). There is also some evidence that drinking milk can settle the stomach while taking … [Read more...]
Malaria Self-Diagnosis
QUESTION: I live in Nigeria and was wondering if there are ways to find out if I malaria without going to the doctor or a hospital? ANSWER: The current "gold-standard" for malaria diagnosis, at least of active infections, is through microscropy, where a trained technician looks at a droplet of your blood on a slide, and sees if any of your red blood cells are infected with the malaria … [Read more...]
How many people die from malaria annually?
QUESTION: How many people die each year from malaria? ANSWER: There is a wide range of estimates for the total number of deaths caused by malaria, but the World Health Organisation generally reports "around a million" deaths each year from the disease, out of somewhere between 300-500 million cases. In total, it is estimated that 3.3 billion people are at risk from malaria, which is … [Read more...]
What are the three stages of a malaria attack?
QUESTION: What are the three stages of a typical malaria attack? ANSWER: I'm not entirely clear as to what you're asking with this question; do you mean the stages of infection within the human host, or the successive changes in the symptoms during the fever cycles that characterise a malarial episode? If you mean the latter, then the three typical stages of symptoms during a malaria … [Read more...]
Malaria – Free Bednets?
QUESTION: Why do people have to pay for the bed nets? I think that is mean to the people and they should get them for free. ANSWER: You have hit on a very important and on-going debate in the malaria control community. In many places around the world, organisations such as UNICEF have distributed free, insecticide-treated bednets, and especially to mothers—pregnant women and children … [Read more...]
Is it rare to die if you get malaira?
QUESTION: Is it rare to die if you get malaria? I know that every 45 seconds somebody dies from malaira, I just want to know if it is rare or not. What percentage of people who get malaria die? ANSWER: There isn't an easy answer to this question. The risk of death depends on the kind of malaria you get, your previous exposure to malaria and how fast you get treatment. P. falciparum is … [Read more...]
Traveling and Pregnant
QUESTION: Hi, I am 3 months pregnant but thinking about going on vacation to Belize in a few weeks time. Should I think about taking something against malaria? ANSWER: It’s good you asked because getting malaria while pregnant can be much more serious than when not pregnant, and can cause terrible problems to both you and your baby. Therefore, it is always advisable to consult your own … [Read more...]
Malaria in Brazil
QUESTION: Is there Malaria in Brazil? If so, what pills do I need to take? ANSWER: Yes, there is malaria in many parts of Brazil, and more than one type: about 75% of cases in Brazil are caused by Plasmodium vivax, whereas the rest are from infections with P. falciparum, the more acute and dangerous species of malaria. Brazil does have good information as to the distribution of malaria … [Read more...]
Malaria in Thailand
QUESTION: I am going to Thailand. Do I need to take Malaria medication there? ANSWER: Like many other countries, that depends on where in Thailand you are planning to go. The country on the whole has been successful in containing malaria, mostly through successful mosquito control initiatives and a great initiative of government-sponsored "malaria clinics" dotted around the country, … [Read more...]