QUESTION Which mosquito causes malaria? ANSWER It is important to note that mosquitoes do not CAUSE malaria—the disease itself is caused by microscopic, single-celled animals called Plasmodium. These Plasmodium parasites live and reproduce inside the mosquito, and when the mosquito bites a person, the parasites are transferred into that person's blood via the mosquito's saliva. If … [Read more...]
Where does malaria come from?
QUESTION Where does malaria normally come from? ANSWER Malaria is caused by single-celled parasites of the genus Plasmodium; the parasites enter the human body via the bite of an infected mosquito. However, the mosquito has to pick up the infection in the first place from another infected human; so in a sense, you could say that malaria both comes from mosquitoes, as well as from other … [Read more...]
Malaria and Sexual Contact
QUESTION Is a person with malaria allowed sexual contact or not? ANSWER Malaria cannot be transmitted between people through sexual contact (or indeed, between people at all—it must go through a mosquito before it can pass into another human host), so from the point of view of spreading the disease, sexual activity is not disallowed. However, people with malaria often feel very … [Read more...]
Malaria Month
QUESTION What is the national month for malaria? ANSWER I'm not exactly sure I understand your question. If you are asking if there is a specific month when malaria is the worst, that depends on where you are. Malaria transmission is highly seasonal, because the mosquitoes that transmit the disease require pools of standing water in order to reproduce. Therefore in many places, … [Read more...]
Malaria Infection Possibilities?
QUESTION: How can malaria affect somebody if you far from mosquitoes? ANSWER: It is extremely unlikely for you to become infected with malaria unless you are bitten by an infected mosquito. In rare caces, there have been reports of people contracting malaria through blood transfusions, but in most places, blood donors with a history of malaria are not allowed to donate whole blood, and … [Read more...]
What is malaria?
QUESTION: What is malaria? ANSWER: Malaria is a disease caused by a parasitic single-celled animal known as Plasmodium. There are different species of Plasmodium, which cause different kinds of malaria. The main types which infect humans are P. falciparum, P. vivax, P. ovale and P. malariae. The parasite is transmitted by certain species of mosquito; the parasite lives in the human blood … [Read more...]
Malaria on Bougainville Island, Papua New Guinea
QUESTION: Is there malaria on Bougainville Island? ANSWER: Yes, Bougainville Island (an autonomous region of Papua New Guinea) is considered a malaria transmission zone, and precautions against malaria are advised when visiting. These include sleeping under an insecticide treated bednet, wearing long-sleeved clothing and insect repellent in the evenings and talking with your doctor about … [Read more...]
Four high risk areas for malaria in South Africa
QUESTION: List four areas in South Africa that are considered high risk for malaria. ANSWER: The far north east of the country is the only region considered a high transmission zone for malaria. This includes places such as the Maputoland coast in KwaZulu-Natal, Kruger National Park (and Nelspruit), most of the border region with Swaziland and the lowveld of Mpumalanga. Regions buffering … [Read more...]
Person to Person Malaria Transmission
QUESTION: If someone had malaria but they don't have it any more can they give it to someone else? ANSWER: Regardless of whether a person is still infected with malaria or not, malaria can almost never be transmitted directly from one person to another. Normally, malaria is only transmitted via infected mosquitoes; so, a mosquito has to bite an infected person, and then bite another … [Read more...]
Can malaria parasites pass to children through breast milk?
QUESTION: Can breast milk transfer malaria parasites from a mother to the child? ANSWER: No. Malaria parasites cannot be transferred via breast milk. However, there is evidence that some antimalarial drugs can pass through breast milk, with unknown effects on the infant; as such, it is not recommended that breast feeding mothers take certain antimalarial drugs. Studies in rats have … [Read more...]