Question: What tissues,organs and/or body systems are affected by malaria? Answer: The malaria parasite is transmitted through blood and has an immediate effect on red blood cells. The most common symptoms of malaria including fever, are caused when the parasites invade red blood cells (erythrocytes) and rupture. However, there are five species of the Plasmodium parasite that cause … [Read more...]
Is malaria a blood borne pathogen?
Question: Is malaria a bloodborne pathogen? Answer: Yes. Malaria is caused by a single-celled parasite of the genus Plasmodium (there are five species which infect humans, being Plasmodium falciparum, P. vivax, P. ovale, P. malariae and P. knowlesi), introduced into the human blood stream through the bite of an infected anopheles mosquito. To learn more about how the malaria parasite … [Read more...]
How Many Types of Anopheles Mosquitoes Cause Malaria?
Question: How many types of anopheles mosquitoes are there and which cause malaria? Answer: According to CDC, there are approximately 3,500 species of mosquitoes grouped into 41 genera. Human malaria is transmitted only by females of the genus Anopheles. Of the approximately 430 Anopheles species, only 30-40 transmit malaria (i.e., are "vectors") in nature. Read more about Anopheles … [Read more...]
What is the Malaria Parasite?
Question: What is the malaria parasite? Answer: Malaria is caused by a single-celled parasite of the genus Plasmodium; there are five species which infect humans, being Plasmodium falciparum, P. vivax, P. ovale, P. malariae and P. knowlesi. All these species are introduced into the human blood stream through the bite of an infected female anopheles mosquito. … [Read more...]
Malaria in Cape Verde
QUESTION Do you need to take Malaria Tablets in SAL Cape-Verde? ANSWER The risk of malaria in Cape Verde is very low. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in the US do not recommend taking antimalarials during visits there. In fact, the only part of Cape Verde where a few cases of malaria have been reported is Saõ Tiago Island, so if you visit there, you may just want to be … [Read more...]
CDC Warns of Imported Malaria – U.S. Cases Reach 40 Year High
Increase underscores importance of taking recommended medicines to prevent malaria when traveling In 2011, 1,925 malaria cases were reported in the United States, according to data published in a supplement of the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR) released today by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). This number is the highest since 1971, more than 40 years ago, and … [Read more...]
Anopheles Mosquitoes and Malaria Transmission
QUESTION How are the Anopheles mosquitoes able to transmit human Malaria and others are not? What makes them different from the other genus of mosquito? ANSWER This is a great question and in fact scientists are not really sure of the answer. The ability of female Anopheles to transmit malaria is a quirk of evolutionary history. Other species of Plasmodium (the Latin genus name of the … [Read more...]
Female Mosquitos and Malaria
QUESTION How come only the female mosquitoes can pass malaria? ANSWER Malaria is transmitted among humans by female mosquitoes of the genus Anopheles. Female mosquitoes need to bite people to get blood, in order to carry out egg production. These blood meals are the link between the human and the mosquito hosts in the parasite life cycle. Only female mosquitoes feed on blood, thus males … [Read more...]
Time Allowed for Malaria Treatment
QUESTION How long does a person have to get to a doctor if they suspect they may have malaria? ANSWER Once you suspect you have malaria (symptoms include very high fever, chills, head and body ache etc) you should seek care and have a blood smear done to identify the parasite. If not treated, malaria can quickly become life-threatening by disrupting the blood supply to vital organs. If … [Read more...]
Bringing Malaria to the United States
QUESTION I was recently diagnosed with Malaria still waiting to find out what strand, but either got it in Uganda or Rwanda. I have recently came back to the states and have been bit by mosquito. I have already started to take some medication for it, but I am concerned about spreading the virus to others in the states including my family. Is it possible that if I still have the infection to … [Read more...]