Malaria - Causes, Symptoms and Treatment

Malaria Definition

Malaria is an infectious disease. Malaria may be characterized by cycles of chills, fever, and sweating. It may be caused by a protozoan of the genus Plasmodium in red blood cells, which is transmitted to humans by the bite of an infected female anopheles mosquito. Falciparum malaria is not only more prevalent than vivax malaria, but it is also causes the highest mortality. Malaria is also known as ague, jungle fever, marsh or swamp fever, and paludism.

Malaria is a tropical and subtropical disease and is most prevalent in Asia, Africa, and Latin America, with highly endemic areas being Southeast Asia and Sub-Sahara Africa. The disease can be treated with medication, but it tends to come back even after being cured. Malaria is endemic in many developing countries.

Malaria Causes

Malaria cannot be passed directly from one human to another. Malaria is transmitted to people by mosquitos. The scientific name of the particular type of mosquito is Anopheles. Mosquito bites a human, it injects a small amount of its saliva into the human's bloodstream. Very few cases of malaria have actually been contracted in the United States; most of these were transmitted by blood transfusions or the use of contaminated needles by drug addicts. A person can have malaria more than once. In some parts of Africa, people have up to forty bouts of malaria during their lifetime.

Malaria is a disease caused by a parasite that infects the red blood cells. Of the 4 types of malaria, the most serious type is falciparum malaria. It can be life-threatening. The other 3 types of malaria (vivax, malariae, and ovale) are generally less serious and are not life-threatening. About two million people die of the disease every year. Most of these deaths occur in southern Africa.

Malaria Symptoms

Persons with severe falciparum malaria may develop bleeding problems, shock, kidney or liver failure, central nervous system problems, coma, and die.

The symptoms of the malaria may be included:

• Chills
• Fever
• Sweats
• Headache
• Vomiting
• Diarrhea
• Anaemia
• Coughing
• Muscle aches
• Watery diarrhoea
• Yellowing of the skin
• Yellowing of the eyes

Malaria Treatments

You may need to take a different type of drug if the first treatment does not improve your symptoms after a couple of days.

The bark of the cinchona and its product, quinine, have been used in the treatment of malaria for centuries.

Proguanil hydrochloride with atovaquone (Malarone) is also often used, particularly to treat malaria contracted in sub-Saharan Africa where there is resistance to other antimalarial drugs.

The treatment for malaria depends upon the geographic area where a person has been infected with the disease. The correct drugs for each type of malaria must be prescribed by a doctor.