QUESTION What can American nurses do to help those with malaria? ANSWER It is great that you are interested in helping the fight against malaria. One very valuable thing that nurses can do, given their crucial medical training, is volunteer overseas in places that are hard-hit by malaria. Websites such as this: Volunteer Abroad post these kinds of opportunities when they become available. … [Read more...]
Can’t Get Rid of Malaria
QUESTION Each and every month I am suffering from malaria ..Treatment is also going on but I am unable to get rid of it. ANSWER It is very unusual to be reinfected so constantly with malaria. First of all, how are you getting diagnosed? You should be getting a blood test, and not relying on symptoms only; the symptoms of malaria are very general and it could be that you are suffering from … [Read more...]
Malaria and Employees
QUESTION I have a domestic employee that has malaria. I also have a 1 year old baby at home. Is it safe to keep her in employ or should I grant her leave until she is fully recovered? ANSWER Malaria cannot be transmitted between people directly. It is transmitted via the bite of an infected mosquito. As such, the only way your baby could get malaria from your employee is if a mosquito bit … [Read more...]
Can Child Be Affected by Mother’s Malaria
QUESTION If the baby's mother has malaria, can it affect the child? ANSWER If the mother is pregnant when she gets malaria, particularly if it is her first pregnancy and particularly if she has never had malaria before, the effects on both the mother and child can be very serious. For the mother, this is because her immune system changes when she gets pregnant. This leaves her more … [Read more...]
Repeated Malaria Cases, New Guinea
QUESTION Hello, I live in Papua New Guinea. Myself, my wife and my 2 kids (both under 4 years old), get diagnosed with malaria approximately 3-4 times a year, usually vivax or falciparum. Our GP uses a prick of blood and examines under a microscope. Is it that easy/obvious to diagnose under this method and is it common to get this many attacks in a year? I also fear the affects of taking … [Read more...]
How to Prevent Malaria
QUESTION How to prevent malaria? ANSWER There are a number of ways to prevent malaria. These can be placed into two categories: medication and vector protection. For medication, there are drugs you can take to prevent the malaria parasite from developing after someone is bitten by an infected mosquito. These drugs are known as “chemoprophylaxis." There are several different kinds, … [Read more...]
Treatment and Management of Malaria Parasite
QUESTION What are the treatments and management of malaria? ANSWER Treatment is actually part of the strategy for managing malaria, so I will come back to that later. The other main ways in which malaria is controlled is through prevention, diagnosis (followed by treatment if necessary) and education. 1) Prevention: There are a number of ways to prevent malaria. These can be placed … [Read more...]
Malaria Prevention
QUESTION What is malaria and the preventive measures? ANSWER Malaria is a disease caused by single-celled parasites of the genus Plasmodium. There are currently five species which cause disease in humans, and while each is slightly different, they all act in basically the same way, and cause similar symptoms. Of the five, the most dangerous is Plasmodium falciparum, which can lead to … [Read more...]
Malaria Prevention
QUESTION What are the ways in which you can prevent yourself from being infected with malaria? ANSWER Malaria prevention consists of a combination of mosquito avoidance measures (since malaria is transmitted by infected mosquitoes) and chemoprophylaxis (medication to prevent the establishment of malaria in your body, if you do get bitten). Although very efficacious, none of the … [Read more...]
Prevention of Malaria
QUESTION What is the prevention of malaria? ANSWER 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 … [Read more...]