Malaria

• Malaria is a parasitic disease caused by a protist of the genus Plasmodium, transmitted by the mosquito
• The most severe from of Malaria is caused by Plasmodium falciparum
• Malaria is transmitted by bite of a female Anopheles mosquito
• When the mosquito bites an already infected person, it sucks up a small quantity of blood. The blood contains malaria parasites that develop further inside the mosquito.

  When the mosquito bites the next person, the parasites are injected into the bloodstream via saliva
• The Anopheles female mosquito is the primary host and the vector of the malaria parasite. Humans are the second host
• Vector: an organism, usually an arthropod, that transmits a pathogen from one host to another
• Effects on the human body

  • parasites move in the bloodstream to the liver, multiplying there after 6-14 days, sometimes months
  • new parasites enter the blood, multiply within red blood cells
• Symptoms of Malaria

  • fever
  • headache
  • shivering
  • joint pain
  • vomiting
  • convulsions
• Effects on the human body

  • the red blood cells burst during the multiplication, this can lead to anaemia
  • Complications, (brain damage) can occur causing a condition called Cerebral Malaria
  • Malaria in pregnant women leads to babies with low birth weight and infant deaths
  • Coma and death
• Effects on the economy

  • Associated with poverty, can cause poverty
  • Expensive treatment
  • Breadwinner death
  • Economic burden on healthcare sector of economy
  • Anit-malarial medication, health centre maintenance
• Treatment of Malaria

  • Immediate and effective treatment with anti-malarial drugs
  • Quinine and artemisinin
• Quinine: anti-malarial drug derived from the bark of a cinchona tree
• Arteminisin: anti-malarial drug derived from the herb Artemisia annua
• Elimination of Vector mosquitoes

  • inner walls of houses sprayed with insecticides- DDT
  • DDT has a negative impact on the environment so it was banned in 1970s
  • DDT was brought back due to its effectiveness in 2000
• Use of mosquito nets treated with insecticides

  • Mosquitoes feed at night, nets hung over bed are used as protection
  • Provides a barrier and kills them
  • Most cost effective method of killing mosquitoes
• Use of prophylactic medication

  • medication taken to prevent disease
  • high cost, not practical for permanent use of residents in Malaria areas
  • used for tourists in Malaria regions
• Immunisation/ Vaccination

  • immunity or tolerance can occur in residents of malaria regions who have been repeatedly infected
  • No vaccines available