MALARIA

by alda & luthfan

 DEFINITION OF
MALARIA
Malaria is caused by Plasmodium parasites. The parasites
are spread to people through the bites of infected
female Anopheles mosquitoes, called "malaria vectors."
There are 5 parasite species that cause malaria in humans,
and 2 of these species – P. falciparum and P. vivax – pose
the greatest threat.

HISTORY
The history of malaria stretches from its prehistoric origin as a zoonotic disease in the primates of Africa through
to the 21st century. A widespread and potentially lethal human infectious disease, at its peak malaria infested
every continent, except Antarctica.[1] Its prevention and treatment have been targeted in science and medicine for
hundreds of years. Since the discovery of the parasites which cause it, research attention has focused on their
biology, as well as that of the mosquitoes which transmit the parasites.
 References to its unique, periodic fevers are found throughout recorded history beginning in the first millennium
BC in Greece and China.[2][3]
 For thousands of years, traditional herbal remedies have been used to treat malaria.[4] The first effective treatment
for malaria came from the bark of the cinchona tree, which contains quinine. After the link to mosquitos and their
parasites were identified in the early twentieth century, mosquito control measures such as widespread use of the
insecticide DDT, swamp drainage, covering or oiling the surface of open water sources, indoor residual spraying
and use of insecticide treated nets was initiated. Prophylactic quinine was prescribed in malaria endemic areas,
and new therapeutic drugs, including chloroquine and artemisinins, were used to resist the scourge. Today,
artemisinin is present in every remedy applied in treatment of malaria. After introducing artemisinin as a cure
administered together with other remedies, the mortality in Africa went down by a half. [5]
 Malaria researchers have won multiple Nobel Prizes for their achievements, although the disease continues to
afflict some 200 million patients each year, killing more than 600,000.

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 HISTORY
✘ Malaria was the most important health hazard encountered by U.S. troops in the South Pacific
during World War II, where about 500,000 men were infected.[6] According to Joseph Patrick
Byrne, "Sixty thousand American soldiers died of malaria during the African and South Pacific
campaigns."[7]
✘ At the close of the 20th century, malaria remained endemic in more than 100 countries
throughout the tropical and subtropical zones, including large areas of Central and South
America, Hispaniola (Haiti and the Dominican Republic), Africa, the Middle East, the Indian
subcontinent, Southeast Asia, and Oceania. Resistance of Plasmodium to anti-malaria drugs, as
well as resistance of mosquitos to insecticides and the discovery of zoonotic species of the
parasite have complicated control measures

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 COMMON SYMPTOMS
✘ More commonly, the patient presents with a combination of the following
symptoms:
✘ Fever
✘ Chills
✘ Sweats
✘ Headaches
✘ Nausea and vomiting
✘ Body aches
✘ General malaise

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 Severe symptoms
• The manifestations of severe malaria include the following:
• Cerebral malaria, with abnormal behavior, impairment of consciousness, seizures, coma, or other neurologic
abnormalities.
• Severe anemia due to hemolysis (destruction of the red blood cells).
• Hemoglobinuria (hemoglobin in the urine) due to hemolysis.
• Acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), an inflammatory reaction in the lungs that inhibits oxygen
exchange, which may occur even after the parasite counts have decreased in response to treatment.
• Abnormalities in blood coagulation.
• Low blood pressure caused by cardiovascular collapse.
• Acute kidney injury.
• Hyperparasitemia, where more than 5% of the red blood cells are infected by malaria parasites
• Metabolic acidosis (excessive acidity in the blood and tissue fluids), often in association with hypoglycemia.
• Hypoglycemia (low blood glucose). Hypoglycemia may also occur in pregnant women with uncomplicated
malaria, or after treatment with quinine.

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 how the disease infected
person
✘ Malaria is transmitted by infected mosquitoes. When you
get bitten by a mosquito which carries the malaria parasite,
the parasite enters your bloodstream. It is then carried to
your liver, where it multiply and grow . It then travels in the
bloodstream and infects and destroys red blood cells

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 MEDICATION
✘ Antimalarial medicines can also be used to prevent malaria. For travellers, malaria can be
prevented through chemoprophylaxis, which suppresses the blood stage of malaria infections,
thereby preventing malaria disease. For pregnant women living in moderate-to-high transmission
areas, WHO recommends intermittent preventive treatment with sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine, at
each scheduled antenatal visit after the first trimester. Similarly, for infants living in high-
transmission areas of Africa, 3 doses of intermittent preventive treatment with sulfadoxine-
pyrimethamine are recommended, delivered alongside routine vaccinations.
✘ Since 2012, WHO has recommended seasonal malaria chemoprevention as an additional malaria
prevention strategy for areas of the Sahel sub-region of Africa. The strategy involves the
administration of monthly courses of amodiaquine plus sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine to all children
under 5 years of age during the high transmission season.

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 PERVENTION
✘ Malaria can often be avoided using the ABCD approach to prevention, which stands for:
✘ Awareness of risk – find out whether you're at risk of getting malaria.
✘ Bite prevention – avoid mosquito bites by using insect repellent, covering your arms and
legs, and using a mosquito net.
✘ Check whether you need to take malaria prevention tablets – if you do, make sure you
take the right antimalarial tablets at the right dose, and finish the course.
✘ Diagnosis – seek immediate medical advice if you have malaria symptoms, including up to a
year after you return from travelling.