QUESTION What is a malaria parasite? ANSWER A malaria parasite is a single-celled protozoan of the genus Plasmodium. These parasites have a complex life-cycle, which involves sexual reproduction in a mosquito vector, plus cycles of asexual reproduction and multiplication in a human host (or other animal - other primates, rodents, birds and reptiles can also be infected with … [Read more...]
Child Has Recurring Malaria
QUESTION My two year old daughter was affected by malaria 9 months back we took proper course and also the follow up course of 6 weeks. After 2 months post 6 weeks she was infected again by malaria and now again she is getting fever and fear this could be malaria again. ANSWER If you suspect she might have malaria again it is important you go and get her tested immediately, as then the … [Read more...]
First Cases of Malaria
QUESTION When was malaria first detected? ANSWER Humans have known about malaria as a disease for thousands of years. The earliest written record of malaria is from ancient China, 2700 BCE. The ancient Romans and Greeks also described the symptoms of malaria, though none of these ancient people knew the true cause or had identified specifically how it was transmitted. This was first … [Read more...]
Malaria Outbreaks
QUESTION What is the largest outbreak in the world from malaria? ANSWER Most parts of the world don't suffer from malaria "outbreaks" in the traditional sense of the world. Instead, malaria is "endemic," which means that transmission is on-going all of the time. In some cases, transmission is seasonal, but each year's level of disease incidence is similar to the next year's. Having said … [Read more...]
Who Discovered Malaria?
QUESTION Who discovered malaria? ANSWER People have known about malaria for thousands of years—the first record of it comes from 2700 BCE, in an ancient Chinese medical text. Other ancient peoples, such as the Egyptians, Greeks and Romans, also knew the symptoms associated with malaria. But it wasn't until the 19th century that the causes of malaria were understood. In 1880, a … [Read more...]
Does Malaria Still Exist?
QUESTION does malaria still exist? ANSWER Yes, malaria still exists, and is responsible for 250 million cases of illness every year, of which about 700,000 result in death. So it is a very serious global health problem! Some countries, such as the United States, have managed to successfully eliminate malaria through a combination of vector control strategies (i.e. spraying for … [Read more...]
Prevention of Malaria
QUESTION How do I 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...]
Why is Malaria Dangerous?
QUESTION How does Malaria become so dangerous? ANSWER Malaria in humans can be caused by a number of different parasites - the most dangerous, and the one which is responsible for over 90% of the worldwide deaths from malaria, is Plasmodium falciparum. The reason that P. falciparum is so dangerous is because it affects the behaviour of red blood cells. Red blood cells that are infected … [Read more...]
Lariam Side Effects
QUESTION My son is playing tennis in Rwanda, Africa. He feels terrible and I suspect it may be the Lariam. He has a fever and has been seeing stuff like snakes, etc. I am very worried as there is no doctor nearby. Is there anything to do to help him? The last Lariam he took was on Saturday. ANSWER Certainly Lariam is associated with some severe side effects, which include hallucinations … [Read more...]
Causes of Malaria
QUESTION What is malaria usually caused by? ANSWER Malaria is caused by a parasite called Plasmodium, which is transmitted via the bites of infected mosquitoes. In the human body, the parasites multiply in the liver, and then infect red blood cells. Usually, people get malaria by being bitten by an infective female Anopheles mosquito. Only Anopheles mosquitoes can transmit malaria and … [Read more...]