{"id":1238,"date":"2021-07-23T17:55:57","date_gmt":"2021-07-23T17:55:57","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/dummy.xtemos.com\/woodmart2\/?p=1238"},"modified":"2023-08-03T08:05:28","modified_gmt":"2023-08-03T08:05:28","slug":"malaria","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wp.vormia.com\/amcclinic\/2021\/07\/23\/malaria\/","title":{"rendered":"Malaria"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Malaria<\/strong>\u00a0is a\u00a0mosquito-borne infectious disease<\/a>\u00a0that affects humans and other animals.[2]<\/a><\/sup>\u00a0Malaria causes\u00a0symptoms<\/a>\u00a0that typically include\u00a0fever<\/a>,\u00a0tiredness<\/a>,\u00a0vomiting<\/a>, and\u00a0headaches<\/a>.[1]<\/a><\/sup>\u00a0In severe cases it can cause\u00a0yellow skin<\/a>,\u00a0seizures<\/a>,\u00a0coma<\/a>, or\u00a0death<\/a>.[1]<\/a><\/sup>\u00a0Symptoms usually begin ten to fifteen days after being bitten by an infected\u00a0mosquito<\/a>.[2]<\/a><\/sup>\u00a0If not properly treated, people may have recurrences of the disease months later.[2]<\/a><\/sup>\u00a0In those who have recently survived an\u00a0infection<\/a>, reinfection usually causes milder symptoms.[1]<\/a><\/sup>\u00a0This partial\u00a0resistance<\/a>\u00a0disappears over months to years if the person has no continuing exposure to malaria.[1]<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n

Malaria is caused by\u00a0single-celled microorganisms<\/a>\u00a0of the\u00a0Plasmodium<\/a><\/em>\u00a0group.[2]<\/a><\/sup>\u00a0The disease is most commonly spread by an infected female\u00a0Anopheles<\/a><\/em>\u00a0mosquito.[2]<\/a><\/sup>\u00a0The mosquito bite introduces the\u00a0parasites<\/a>\u00a0from the mosquito\u2019s\u00a0saliva<\/a>\u00a0into a person\u2019s\u00a0blood<\/a>.[2]<\/a><\/sup>\u00a0The parasites travel to the\u00a0liver<\/a>\u00a0where they mature and\u00a0reproduce<\/a>.[1]<\/a><\/sup>\u00a0Five species of\u00a0Plasmodium<\/em>\u00a0can infect and be spread by humans.[1]<\/a><\/sup>\u00a0Most deaths are caused by\u00a0P.\u00a0falciparum<\/a><\/em>\u00a0because\u00a0P.\u00a0vivax<\/a><\/em>,\u00a0P.\u00a0ovale<\/a><\/em>, and\u00a0P.\u00a0malariae<\/a><\/em>\u00a0generally cause a milder form of malaria.[1]<\/a><\/sup>[2]<\/a><\/sup>\u00a0The species\u00a0P.\u00a0knowlesi<\/a><\/em>\u00a0rarely causes disease in humans.[2]<\/a><\/sup>\u00a0Malaria is typically diagnosed by the\u00a0microscopic examination<\/a>\u00a0of blood using\u00a0blood films<\/a>, or with\u00a0antigen-based<\/a>\u00a0rapid diagnostic tests<\/a>.[1]<\/a><\/sup>\u00a0Methods that use the\u00a0polymerase chain reaction<\/a>\u00a0to detect the parasite\u2019s\u00a0DNA<\/a>\u00a0have been developed, but are not widely used in areas where malaria is\u00a0common<\/a>\u00a0due to their cost and complexity.[4]<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n

The risk of disease can be reduced by preventing mosquito bites through the use of\u00a0mosquito nets<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0insect repellents<\/a>, or with\u00a0mosquito control<\/a>\u00a0measures such as spraying\u00a0insecticides<\/a>\u00a0and draining\u00a0standing water<\/a>.[1]<\/a><\/sup>\u00a0Several\u00a0medications<\/a>\u00a0are available to\u00a0prevent malaria<\/a>\u00a0in travellers to areas where the disease is common.[2]<\/a><\/sup>\u00a0Occasional doses of the combination medication\u00a0sulfadoxine\/pyrimethamine<\/a>\u00a0are recommended in\u00a0infants<\/a>\u00a0and after the\u00a0first trimester<\/a>\u00a0of\u00a0pregnancy<\/a>\u00a0in areas with high rates of malaria.[2]<\/a><\/sup>\u00a0As of 2020, there is one\u00a0vaccine<\/a>\u00a0which has been shown to reduce the risk of malaria by about 40% in children in Africa.[5]<\/a><\/sup>[6]<\/a><\/sup>\u00a0Efforts to develop more effective vaccines are ongoing.[6]<\/a><\/sup>\u00a0The recommended treatment for malaria is a\u00a0combination<\/a>\u00a0of\u00a0antimalarial medications<\/a>\u00a0that includes an\u00a0artemisinin<\/a>.[1]<\/a><\/sup>[2]<\/a><\/sup>\u00a0The second medication may be either\u00a0mefloquine<\/a>,\u00a0lumefantrine<\/a>, or sulfadoxine\/pyrimethamine.[7]<\/a><\/sup>\u00a0Quinine<\/a>\u00a0along with\u00a0doxycycline<\/a>\u00a0may be used if an artemisinin is not available.[7]<\/a><\/sup>\u00a0It is recommended that in areas where the disease is common, malaria is confirmed if possible before treatment is started due to concerns of increasing\u00a0drug resistance<\/a>.[2]<\/a><\/sup>\u00a0Resistance among the parasites has developed to several antimalarial medications; for example,\u00a0chloroquine<\/a>-resistant\u00a0P.\u00a0falciparum<\/em>\u00a0has spread to most malarial areas, and resistance to artemisinin has become a problem in some parts of Southeast Asia.[2]<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n

The disease is widespread in the\u00a0tropical<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0subtropical<\/a>\u00a0regions that exist in a broad band around the\u00a0equator<\/a>.[1]<\/a><\/sup>\u00a0This includes much of\u00a0sub-Saharan Africa<\/a>,\u00a0Asia<\/a>, and\u00a0Latin America<\/a>.[2]<\/a><\/sup>\u00a0In 2018 there were 228 million cases of malaria worldwide resulting in an estimated 405,000 deaths.[3]<\/a><\/sup>\u00a0Approximately 93% of the cases and 94% of deaths occurred in Africa.[3]<\/a><\/sup>\u00a0Rates of disease have decreased from 2010 to 2014, but increased from 2015 to 2017, during which there were 231 million cases.[3]<\/a><\/sup>\u00a0Malaria is commonly associated with poverty and has a major negative effect on\u00a0economic development<\/a>.[8]<\/a><\/sup>[9]<\/a><\/sup>\u00a0In Africa, it is estimated to result in losses of US$12 billion a year due to increased healthcare costs, lost ability to work, and negative effects on tourism.<\/p>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t[\/vc_column][\/vc_row]<\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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