QUESTIONmy husband has been taking coartem for 3 days now. He was fine yesterday and then last night the symptoms re-appeared like it was day one. Can I carry on with coartem and start another course? Or shall I switch to something else ? If so, what? We live in zambia by the way.Thank you for your help.ANSWERIf your husband still has strong symptoms after taking all doses of the … [Read more...]
Malaria in Kitwe Zambia
QUESTIONIs it dangerous for my children two years old in Kitwe?ANSWERKitwe has been part of the Roll Back Malaria campaign to control malaria in Zambia—the program has been very successful, reducing deaths by malaria by over 65% nationwide. However, there still is a risk of contracting malaria in most parts of the country, and so preventative measures should be taken when … [Read more...]
Malaria and Nkadu Luo
QUESTIONWhen did professor Nkadu Luo discover that female mosquito causes malaria?ANSWERProfessor Nkadu Luo is a microbiologist and immunologist in Zambia. Most of her work has been on HIV/AIDS and sickle cell anaemia. She has also been a key figure in promoting screening of blood banks in Zambia for infectious diseases such as HIV and malaria. However, the discovery that female … [Read more...]
In What Countries is Malaria Found?
QUESTIONWhat countries can malaria be found in?ANSWERMalaria is found on every continent of the world except Antartica—however, regular transmission every year mainly only occurs in Central and South America, Africa, parts of the Middle East, Asia and parts of Oceania/the Pacific Islands.The world's highest areas of malaria prevalence and transmission occur in sub-Saharan … [Read more...]
Is it Malaria?
QUESTIONI was in Zambia 3-4 weeks ago and had yellow fever shot and malaria pills. A week ago I got a severe headache. I suffer from migraines now and then but it wasn't one. The headache has not passed. 4 days ago I was feeling really ill. I was extremely tired and disorientated. I am nauseated, but not all the time. Have no appetite. I generally feel ill, like something isn't right. … [Read more...]
Contrasting Patterns of Malaria Drug Resistance Found Between Humans and Mosquitoes
A recent study has detected contrasting patterns of drug resistance in malaria-causing parasites taken from both humans and mosquitoes in rural Zambia.Parasites found in human blood samples showed a high prevalence for pyrimethamine-resistance, which was consistent with the class of drugs widely used to treat malaria in the region. However, parasites taken from mosquitoes themselves had very … [Read more...]
Climate Change Brings Increased Malaria Threat to Tanzania Highlands
Tanzania’s southern highlanders have long worried about pneumonia and other respiratory illnesses brought on by the cool, wet weather. But as climate change contributes to warmer temperatures in the region, residents are facing a new health threat: malaria. … [Read more...]
Global Fund Responds to News Stories About Corruption in Grant Spending
Officials from the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria are criticizing recent media reports of misuse of Global Fund grants. They say the reports are based on incidents that occurred and were acted on last year and contain no new revelations.The media reports claim corruption is taking a big bite out of the billions of dollars of grant money disbursed by the Global Fund. And, … [Read more...]
WHO’s World Malaria Report Shows Rapid Progress Toward Targets
A massive scale-up in malaria control programmes between 2008 and 2010 has resulted in the provision of enough insecticide-treated mosquito nets (ITNs) to protect more than 578 million people at risk of malaria in sub-Saharan Africa.Indoor residual spraying has also protected 75 million people, or 10% of the population at risk in 2009. The World Malaria Report 2010 describes how the drive … [Read more...]