Malaria: Is this parasite Africa’s smallest killer?

Photo Credits: Softpedia, Smithsonian

Name
Malaria (the name is derived from mala aria – or ‘bad air’ in Italian – as Ancient Romans believed that swamp fumes produced the illness)

Transmission

• A life-threatening disease caused by the plasmodium parasite
  • There are over 100 species of this parasite
  • P. falciparum, the most deadly of these species, is also the most prevalent on the African continent
• Its transmitted to people by the female anopheles mosquito

Geography

• Worldwide, but most cases and deaths occur in sub-Saharan Africa
• There were an estimated 214 million cases all over the world in 2015
• In 2015, sub-Saharan Africa had 88% of global malaria cases and 90% of global malaria deaths

Incubation Period
7 – 15 days after an infected mosquito bite

Signs and Symptoms
The first symptoms include:

• Fever
• Chills
• Vomiting
• Headache
• Other flu-like symptoms

If not treated within 24 hours, P. falciparum malaria can progress to severe illness with these symptoms:

• Severe anemia
• Blood in urine
• Respiratory distress
• Cerebral malaria
• Multi-organ issues
• Low blood pressure
• Coma

Diagnosis
Laboratory testing of blood samples (rapid diagnostic testing is also available)

Treatment

• Many effective antimalarial drugs are available but resistance to antimalarial medicines is a consistent global problem
• For uncomplicated cases, the best treatment is artemisinin-based combination therapy (ACT)

Prognosis

• It is preventable and curable if diagnosed on time and treated properly however, without proper diagnosis and drugs, it can lead to death
• In 2015, there were an estimated 438,000 deaths
• More than two thirds (70%) of all deaths are to children under 5
• Pregnant women have increased susceptibility to P. falciparum malaria

Prevention: What Can You Do?

• Avoid mosquitoes (use insecticide-treated mosquito nets, apply insect repellent, and wear long clothing to reduce the chance of bites)
• Ensure there is no standing water around your home and if it cannot be drained or removed, cover the water because mosquitoes breed in stagnant water
• Travelers to mosquito-endemic areas can take prophylactic drugs to prevent the disease

Malaria In the News

• WHO: Global malaria progress and challenges in 2016
• From over 90 000 cases to zero in two decades: the European Region is malaria free
• Nigeria: Tackling Malaria

Sources:
http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs094/en/
http://www.cdc.gov/malaria/