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Malaria is an infection that is contracted from the bite of infected mosquitoes and is the result of a parasite called plasmodium. Malaria is transmitted by the anopheles mosquito. They usually bite between dusk and dawn.
In humans there are four types of malaria. The two most common strains are plasmodium vivax and plasmodium falciparum. Plasmodium falciparum is the most deadly of the four. The other two are plasmodium malariae and plasmodium ovale. In the last few years there have also been deaths reported in forested areas of South-East Asia due to a strain of malaria called plasmodium knowlesi, which exists in monkeys.
There are approximately twenty species of mosquito that carry malaria. Mosquitoes breed in freshwater that is shallow, that is to say puddles, rice fields and even hoof prints. When a human being contracts malaria the infection multiplies in the liver and infects the body’s red blood cells.
The longer the lifespan of a particular species of mosquito, the deadlier the malaria tends to be. If the parasite lives for longer in the carrier then it is able to complete its development.
Malaria becomes more dangerous when human immunity levels are lower than usual. A child dies from Malaria every 45 seconds, mainly due to the fact that they have not had time to develop immunity to the disease. People with HIV and pregnant women are also at more risk from the disease.
Anti malaria drugs can help to prevent humans from contacting the disease- by using the drugs as a prophylaxis. This is recommended for people who are traveling from an area where there is no malaria to an area where it exists.
Diagnosing malaria early can help to reduce the disease and to prevent deaths. It also helps to prevent transmission of the disease. It is important that people who are traveling to areas, which are affected by malaria, know the symptoms so they can catch it quickly.
Early symptoms include:
Malaria is curable and preventable. In 2008, however, there were 247 million cases of the infection and almost one million deaths, most of which were African children.
Travellers to an area affected by malaria should take a course of prophylaxis before travelling and continue to take the medication, even after they have left the area and returned to a malaria-free region. There are a variety of different treatment options available, though you should remember that no anti-malarial is better than another and that no anti-malarial can be guaranteed as 100% effective.
Other preventative measures include:
