Malaria; the deadly disease

Malaria parasite

Malaria is regarded as one of the deadliest diseases in the world. It is a life-threatening blood disease caused by parasites transmitted to humans through the bite of a female Anopheles mosquito.

The bites from mosquito infect the body with a parasite Plasmodium, the only mosquito that causes malaria.

There are more than 100 types of Plasmodium parasites, which can infect a variety of species. Scientists have identified five types that specifically infect humans, they are:

 P. falciparum - located worldwide in tropical and suburban areas, but predominately in Africa. An estimated 1 million people are killed by this strain every year. The strain can multiply rapidly and can adhere to blood vessel walls in the brain, causing rapid onset of severe malaria including cerebral malaria.

 P. vivax - located in Latin America, Africa, and Asia, it is arguably the most widespread due to the high population of Asia. This strain has a dormant liver stage that can activate and invade the blood after months or years, causing many patients to relapse.

 P. ovale - located mainly in West Africa, it is biologically and morphologically very similar to P. vivax. However, unlike P. vivax, this strain can affect individuals who are negative with the Duffy blood group, which is the case for many residents of sub-Saharan Africa. This explains the greater prevalence of P. ovale (rather than P. vivax) in most of Africa.

 P. malariae - located worldwide and the only human malaria parasite to have a three-day cycle. If left untreated, P. malariae can cause a long-lasting, chronic infection that can last a lifetime and which may cause the nephrotic syndrome.

P. knowlesi - located in Southeast Asia and associated with macaques (a type of monkey). This strain has a 24 hour cycle and can therefore; multiply rapidly once a patient is infected, causing an uncomplicated case to become serious very quickly. Fatal cases of infection with this strain have been reported.

Victim of Malaria

When an infected mosquito bites a human host, the parasite enters the bloodstream and lays dormant within the liver. For the next 5-16 days, the host will show no symptoms but the malaria parasite will begin multiplying.

The new malaria parasites are then released back into the bloodstream before infecting and destroying the red blood cells. Some malaria parasites, however, remain in the liver and are not released until later, resulting in recurrence.

Medical experts claimed that malaria can be controlled and treated if diagnosed early but unfortunately, this is not possible in most parts of the world where medical facilities are lacking.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), malaria symptoms can be classified in two categories: uncomplicated and severe malaria.

Uncomplicated malaria is diagnosed when symptoms are present, but there are no clinical or laboratory signs to indicate a severe infection or the dysfunction of vital organs. Individuals suffering from this form can eventually develop severe malaria if the disease is left untreated, or if they have poor or no immunity to the disease. The symptoms of uncomplicated malaria typically last 6-10 hours; symptoms are often flu-like and may be undiagnosed or misdiagnosed in areas where malaria is less common.

Most uncomplicated malaria typically has the following progression of symptoms through cold, hot and sweating stages: Sensation of cold, shivering; Fever, headaches, and vomiting (seizures sometimes occur in young children) and sweats followed by a return to normal temperature, with tiredness.

Severe malaria is defined by clinical or laboratory evidence of vital organ dysfunction. This form has the capacity to be fatal if left untreated. As a general overview, symptoms of severe malaria include: Fever and chills; Impaired consciousness; Prostration (adopting a prone or prayer position); Multiple convulsions; Deep breathing and respiratory distress; Abnormal bleeding and signs of anemia and Clinical jaundice and evidence of vital organ dysfunction.

Investigation revealed that malaria was first identified in 1880 as a disease caused by parasitic infection. The name of the disease comes from the Italian word mal'aria, meaning "bad air".

Malaria exists mostly in dirty environments and breed mainly in stagnant water. The most common active time for mosquito is between dusk and dawn

Sleeping under treated net can save life

It is estimated that that there are 198 million cases of malaria in 2013 and 584,000 deaths worldwide. Malaria occurs mostly in poor, tropical and subtropical areas of the world

An estimated 3.4 billion people in 106 countries and territories are at risk of malaria - nearly half of the world's population.

However, Malaria incidence rates are estimated to have fallen by 30% globally between 2000 and 2013 while estimated mortality rates fell by 47%

The World Health Organization (WHO) has set out to reduce all malaria cases and deaths by 90% by 2030.

However, it is believed that researchers are working hard on improving the prevention of malarial infection, early diagnosis and treatment.