QUESTIONWhat are the symptoms of Malaria?ANSWERSymptoms of malaria include fever and flu-like illness, including shaking chills, headache, muscle aches, and tiredness. Nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea may also occur. Malaria may cause anemia and jaundice (yellow coloring of the skin and eyes) because of the loss of red blood cells. Symptoms usually appear between 10 and 15 days after the … [Read more...]
Antimalarial Drugs During pPregnancy
QUESTIONWhat is the safest antimalarial drug to be used by a pregnant woman in her second trimester?ANSWERWith regards to treating malaria, intravenous artesunate (or quinine, if artesunate is not available) should be used for the treatment of severe/complicated Plasmodium falciparum malaria. Signs of severe and/or complicated malaria include impaired consciousness, organ failure, … [Read more...]
Treatment of recurrent Malaria
QUESTIONIf one takes the first dose of Coartem and tests indicate presence of malaria parasites,is it advisable to take a second round of coartem, or to start on quinine? Is quinine usually administered on its own or in conjunction with another drug? At what point is malaria considered complicated?ANSWERUsually, if a first round of treatment is unsuccessful, a doctor will prescribe a … [Read more...]
Malaria in the Brain
QUESTIONI would like to know how dangerous is malaria in the brain?ANSWEROnly a certain kind of malaria, Plasmodium falciparum, is usually associated with causing problems in the brain. The P. falciparum parasite infects red blood cells and changes their surface structure, causing them to become "sticky". These sticky red blood cells become lodged in the small blood vessels that flow … [Read more...]
Blood Transfusion and Malaria
QUESTIONDo people need to receive blood if they get malaria?ANSWERUsually not. Most cases of malaria are uncomplicated and are treated using oral antibiotics. However, if the disease progresses sufficiently and the patient is not promptly treated, it can become more severe. This is particularly true for infection with Plasmodium falciparum malaria, which can lead to impaired … [Read more...]
Coma and Malaria
QUESTIONMy sister is in a coma and doctors said its malaria. She is on life support system. Will she come out of it? The liver and kidneys have been affected.ANSWERWithout more information, I am afraid it is impossible to know what the prognosis will be. Is she receiving treatment for the malaria? For cases of this severity, intravenous quinine is often the first-line treatment for … [Read more...]
Malaria Cure
QUESTIONWhat is the cure for malaria?ANSWERMalaria can be cured with a number of different medications, depending on then type of malaria and how far the disease has been progressed.For standard, non-complicated Plasmodium falciparum malaria, the World Health Organisation recommends use of artemisinin-based combination therapies (ACTs), such as Coartem. This is due to increasing … [Read more...]