Malaria

Malaria is caused by a parasite called Plasmodium. There are 4 species of Plasmodium which infect humans:

• Plasmodium vivax
• Plasmodium falciparum
• Plasmodium malaria
• Plasmodium ovale

Causes of Malaria

Malaria is caused by a parasite that is passed from one human to another by the bite of infected Anopheles mosquitoes. After infection, the parasites (called sporozoites) travel through the bloodstream to the liver, where they mature and release another form, the merozoites. The parasites enter the bloodstream and infect red blood cells. The parasites multiply inside the red blood cells, which then break open within 48 to 72 hours, infecting more red blood cells. The first symptoms usually occur 10 days to 4 weeks after infection.

Symptoms of malaria

Malaria is the most common cause of fever in the tropics.
The initial symptoms of malaria are flu-like and include:

• Malaise (feeling of unwellness)
• Headaches
• Fatigue
• Muscle pains
• Abdominal pains
• Fever and chills

• Nausea and vomiting
• Enlarged spleen
• Mild jaundice
• Enlargement of the liver
• Malaria can lead to impaired function of the brain, seizures, or even death.

Diagnosis

Your doctor may suspect that you have malaria based on your symptoms and your history of foreign travel. When your doctor examines you, he or she may find an enlarged spleen because the spleen commonly swells during a malaria infection.

To confirm the diagnosis of malaria, your doctor will take samples of blood to be smeared on glass slides. These blood smears will be stained with special chemicals in a laboratory and examined for Plasmodium parasites. Blood tests will be done to determine whether malaria has affected your levels of red blood cells and platelets, the ability of your blood to clot, your blood chemistry, and your liver and kidney function.

Treatment

The drugs available to prevent and treat malaria include:

• atovaquone-proguanil
• chloroquine- proguanil
• proguanil
• primaquine
• mefloquine
• chloroquine
• quinidine
• quinine
• doxycycline
• artesunate

Prevention

Researchers are working to create a vaccine against malaria. Vaccination is expected to become an important tool to prevent malaria in the future.

If you're going to be traveling to a location where malaria is common, It is strongly recommended that you take preventive medication and talk to your doctor a few months ahead of time about drugs you can take — before, during and after your trip — that can help protect you from malaria parasites. Your doctor needs to know where you'll be traveling so that he or she can prescribe the drug that will work best on the type of malaria parasite most commonly found in that region.

• As much as possible, stay indoors in well-screened areas, especially at night when mosquitoes are most active.
• Use mosquito nets and bed nets. It's best to treat the nets with the insect repellant permethrin.
• Wear clothing that covers most of your body.
• Use an insect repellent that contains DEET or picaridin. These repellents are applied directly to your skin, except around your mouth and eyes. If you choose a picaridin-based repellant, you will need to reapply it every several hours.
• Apply permethrin to clothing.