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Malaria Worldwide - What is It and How It Can Be Prevented

Malaria is one of the most contracted tropical diseases in the world. It is quite deadly but death can be treated successfully and even prevented. Malaria is typically the result of a parasite which infects mosquitoes that in turn bite humans, spreading the disease. There are four different types of parasites which directly affect humans: Plasmodium malariae or P. malariae, P. falciparum, P. ovale and P. vivax.

Roughly 1,500 people are diagnosed with malaria in the U.S. each year and the majority of these cases are from immigrants and travelers who return from areas of the world with the greatest malaria risks like southern Asia, Africa and Central and South America. The leading health organization in the world, the World Health Organization (WHO), believe that up to 500 million cases of malaria happen each year and over 1 million infected will die. This mainly happens to young children in third world or developing countries who don't have strong immune systems. Malaria is often seen as a by-product of poverty in these developing nations.

Disease Transmission

An infected female Anopheles mosquito is the spreader of the disease and must have previously bitten and sucked blood from an individual infected with malaria. The tiny parasites which cause malaria are mixed with the mosquito's saliva so when it bites a person, that saliva is injected into an unsuspecting individual.

Malaria parasites exist in red blood cells so it is possible for this disease to be transmitted via a blood transfusion, shared syringes, from a mother to a delivered baby and even organ transplant. Otherwise, this disease is not spread in any other way including sex or casual contact. Blood swapping is the primary means of transmission.

Signs and Symptoms

Malaria causes a number of different symptoms and includes diarrhea, vomiting and general nausea. Fever can occur as well as flu-like symptoms such as malaise, chills, headaches and sore muscles. Jaundice and anemia are common and if you are unlucky enough to have the strain of malaria caused by the P. falciparum, you could experience seizures, kidney failure, coma and/or confusion.

Symptoms may occur anywhere from 8 days to one month after initial infection although a person could become sick up to a year later. Two strains - P. ovale and P. vivax - can recur with the malaria parasite taking residence in the liver in a dormant state indefinitely. When they "wake" up, a person already treated for malaria could get it again.

Treatment and Prevention

Prevention is the best scenario to avoid malaria altogether with anti-malarial medication prescribed before any travel to malaria-prone countries. However, it is remotely possible to still become infected, even with preventative medications. In this instance, there are a variety of prescription medications that doctors will prescribe in order to treat this disease. The type of malaria as well as your general health will dictate the type of drug treatment suggested to you.

In addition to anti-malarial medications, you can also protect yourself by applying insect repellents on a regular basis with the ingredient DEET. Long sleeved clothing and long tucked in pants will cut down on the exposed skin the female Anopheles mosquito can land on. Finally, use mosquito netting (preferably treated with an insecticide) as much as possible to cover up your sleeping areas at night.