QUESTION: What is malaria and what causes it besides bacteria? What is the name of the causal agent for malaria, which drug is used to cure it and how do the pathogens become resistant to the drugs? ANSWER: There are many questions in there! Malaria is actually caused by a single-celled animal, called a protozoan; it's not a bacterial disease. There are different species of these … [Read more...]
Malaria effects on body’s digestive system
QUESTION: How does Malaria affect the digestive system? ANSWER: Malaria does not usually affect the digestive system directly, although nausea and abdominal pain can be symptoms of the disease, usually due to the high fevers caused by the infection. Having said that, some of the drugs given as treatment or prevention of malaria are also known to have gastrointestinal side effects; both … [Read more...]
Do I have malaria?
QUESTION: Hi, I went to Ivory Coast August/2003 back March/2004, took some pills to help prevent Malaria on my trip but ran out and did not get more. While I was there I got many mosquito bites. Around October/03 became very sick, got tested for malaria at the hospital in Quebec but negative. Now May/2011 still have all the same symptoms, flu like symptoms, feeling cold most of the time, … [Read more...]
Treatment for Malaria
QUESTION: How do you treat malaria? ANSWER: Malaria can be treated with a number of different types of medication; which one to use depends on the type of malaria you have, as well as whether resistant strains are known to occur in your area. Below I have copied the response I wrote to a similar question on malaria treatment, posted on the 2nd of May, 2011: In most cases of … [Read more...]
Malaria Treatment
QUESTION: What is the proper treatment for people with malaria symptoms? ANSWER: The proper treatment for malaria depends on the type of malaria parasite that the patient is infected with. Therefore, before treatment begins, the patient should be accurately diagnosed. In most cases of non-Plasmodium falciparum malaria (the most deadly form of malaria, found throughout the world but … [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...]
Malaria Prevention
Malaria prevention consists of a combination of mosquito avoidance measures and chemoprophylaxis. Although very efficacious, none of the recommended interventions are 100% effective. Mosquito Avoidance Measures Because of the nocturnal feeding habits of Anopheles mosquitoes, malaria transmission occurs primarily between dusk and dawn. Contact with mosquitoes can be reduced by … [Read more...]
Malaria Treatment
Malaria can be a severe, potentially fatal disease (especially when caused by Plasmodium falciparum) and treatment should be initiated as soon as possible. Patients who have severe P. falciparum malaria or who cannot take oral medications should be given the treatment by continuous intravenous infusion. Most drugs used in treatment are active against the parasite forms in the blood (the form … [Read more...]