Symptoms and Treatments

what is Malaria?

Malaria is an infectious disease of the blood and is most prevalent in tropical and sub-tropical regions infested with mosquitoes carrying the malaria bacteria.

Millions of people are infected every year with a high mortality rate especially in underdeveloped tropical countries.  The disease has been all but stomped out in northern hemispheres with the US declared by WHO as a malaria-free country. But, there are still hundreds of reported cases each year, mostly from travelers retuning home from the tropics where they acquired it

Description

There are various species of the plasmodium parasite that causes malaria.  The most serious cases are caused by the Plasmodium falciparum that can be fatal if left untreated.  The rest, including the Plasmodium vivac, ovale and malariae cause milder malaria cases that are not fatal.

Causes and Risk Factors of Malaria

Malaria is transmitted from the bite of a female Anopheles mosquito commonly thriving in mosquito-ridden regions of tropical countries.  The mosquito carries the Plasmodium parasite bacteria which had it roots when the mosquito bit a person infected with it.  When the mosquito bites her next prey, the parasite is injected with the mosquito’s saliva and is carried by the bloodstream to the liver where the parasite starts to multiply within the red blood cells usually within weeks or even months from being bitten. Now you have the onset of malaria with the known symptoms that can lead to coma or death.

Symptoms of Malaria

In general, malaria causes high fever that comes and goes everyday or every other day depending on the type of malaria contracted from the Plasmodium bacteria.  The pattern of regularly returning fevers is classic for malaria but many people will show fever symptoms easily confused with a bout of influenza.  Headaches, nausea, chills, perspiration and body weakness are expected.  As the malaria worsens, the fevers seem to subside which can be mistaken as getting well but the infection can remain for years especially in people with repeated exposure to the infection and may even develop some immunity to certain malaria types.

The worst Malaria caused by the Plasmodium falciparum parasite exhibits hemolytic anemia (destruction of red blood cells) and leads to kidney failure, coma and eventual death. Malaria of this type is always treated as an emergency case as drugs that can work in other types are often resisted here.

Diagnosis of Malaria

The malaria parasite is found on the blood; hence, a blood test can determine the malaria type.  Repeated testing may be necessary to confirm and a DNA test may also be prescribed.

Treatment of Malaria

If the type of infection cannot be ascertained, patients are first treated with IV quinine formula Q drugs. Malaria patients diagnosed with the P. falciparum parasite are first administered with Quinidine-based drugs which are essentially heart disease medication that kills malarial parasites. Next are the more potent chloroquine or mefloquine-based dugs but there is now widespread resistance to these especially in East Africa, Southeast Asia, and South America.

With milder cases of malaria, home treatment using oral OTC drugs and liquids are quite common.  In any home care regimen, the patient needs lots of liquids to prevent dehydration that could worsen the infection. Slightly more serious malaria cases can be treated with IV quinine drugs at home.  In the US, it is best that the initial treatment be done in a hospital to document the case, before spending the rest of the treatment at home.