Question

Describe the causes, preventions and curative process of malaria disease.

Answer 1

Malaria is a serious, sometimes fatal, disease spread by mosquitoes and caused by a parasite. Malaria presents with flu-like symptoms that include high fever and chills.

1) Causes of Malaria- Plasmodium, a tiny protozoan is responsible for Malaria. Different species of Plasmodium (P. vivax, P. malaria and P. falciparum) are responsible for different types of malaria. Of these, malignant malaria caused by Plasmodium falciparum is the most serious one and can even be fatal.

(i) P. falciparum: found in tropical and subtropical areas; major contributor to deaths from severe malaria

(ii) P. vivax: found in Asia and Latin America; has a dormant stage that can cause relapses

(iii) P. ovale: found in Africa and the Pacific islands

(iv) P. malariae: worldwide; can cause a chronic infection

2) Prevention of Malaria- No medication is 100% effective, and therefore the prevention of mosquito bites is of great importance. These preventive measures should include the following:

(i) Sleeping under bed nets: These should cover all of the bed down to the floor. These nets are most effective if they are treated with an insecticide.

(ii) Clothing: Clothing that covers most of the exposed skin and shoes that are closed can reduce the risk of bites. All clothing should be tucked in, and pants should be tucked into socks to avoid exposure around the ankles. In addition, treating clothes with insecticides can prevent bites even further.

(iii) Apply insect repellent to all exposed skin.

3) Curative process- Malaria can be treated by a primary care doctor (paediatrician, family medicine, internal medicine), as well as by infectious-disease specialists. Besides supportive care, the medical team needs to decide on the appropriate antibiotics to treat malaria. Physicians will administer the medication in pill form or as an intravenous antibiotic. The most commonly used medications are chloroquine, doxycycline, quinine, etc.