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What is malaria and what are its symptoms?
2005-10-07 07:01:06
By Guardian Reporter
Malaria is an infectious disease transmitted by the bites of mosquitoes infected with the malaria-causing parasite.
After being bitten by an infected mosquito, the parasite infects human liver and red blood cells.
Most malaria infections cause flulike symptoms (such as high fever, chills, muscle pain, diarrhea) that come and go in cycles as the disease progresses.
One type of malaria may cause more serious problems, including heart, lung, kidney, or brain damage and possibly death.
How do people become infected?
You can become infected with malaria when you are bitten by a certain type of mosquito (Anopheles mosquitoes) infected with the malaria parasite.
In rare cases, people can get malaria if they come into contact with infected blood, or a fetus may get the disease from its mother.
You cannot get malaria by being near a person with the disease.
Where is malaria found?
Malaria occurs most frequently in tropical Africa, parts of Asia, Central America and South America.
It occurs less frequently in Greece, Turkey and the Middle East.
Poor sanitation in some of these countries contributes to the severity of malaria by providing ideal conditions for mosquitoes to breed.
In the United States, most malaria cases occur in people who have travelled in areas where malaria is present and in immigrants from those areas.
How is malaria prevented?
Malaria can usually be prevented by taking medication before, during and after travel to an area where malaria is present and by protecting yourself against mosquito bites.
Although the use of medications to prevent malaria is recommended and generally effective, it does not always prevent infection.
This is partly because some parasites that cause the disease are becoming more resistant to some preventive medications.
How is malaria treated?
Malaria often requires treatment with medication (antimalarial medications).
Antimalarial medications are usually effective in treating the infection.
However, the effectiveness of medications both to prevent and treat the disease depends on the medication resistance of the malaria parasites you are exposed to.
Variation in symptoms
In regions where malaria is present, people may be immune (not susceptible to the disease) or semi-immune and be infected with malaria but have few or no symptoms. 1 The severity of malaria symptoms can also vary depending on your immunity.
Common symptoms of malaria
Symptoms in the early stages of malaria can be similar to those of many other illnesses caused by bacterial, viral or parasitic infections.
If you have been in an area where malaria is present (especially in the past 2 months) and you have symptoms of malaria, then you should suspect you have the disease until tests prove otherwise.
Symptoms may include the following:lfever (may be periodic)
lchills
lheadache
lsweats
lfatigue
lnausea and vomiting
Symptoms may appear in cycles and may come and go at different intensities and for different lengths of time.
However, especially at the beginning of the illness, the symptoms may not follow this typical cyclic pattern.
The cyclic pattern of malaria symptoms is due to the life cycle of malaria parasites as they develop, reproduce, and are released from the red blood cells and liver cells in the human body.
This cycle of symptoms is also one of the major indicators that you are infected with malaria.
Other common signs and symptoms of malaria
Other common signs and symptoms of malaria include:ldry (nonproductive) cough. lmuscle and/or back pain.
lenlarged spleen.
limpaired function of the brain or spinal cord, seizures, or loss of consciousness (rare).
Infection with the P. falciparum parasite is usually more serious and may become life-threatening.
There are other conditions with symptoms similar to a malarial infection.
It is important that you see your doctor to determine the cause of your symptoms.
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