CONTENTS

S.NO TOPIC PAGE.NO

1 INTRODUCTION 2-4
2 KEY FACTS 5
3 CAUSES 6-7
4 TRANSMISSION 8-9
5 PREVENTION 10-13
6 TREATMENT 14-15
7 WHO RESPONDS 16-17
8 BIBLIOGRAPHY 18

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 INTRODUCTION
Malaria is a mosquito-borne infectious disease affecting humans
and other animals caused by parasitic single-celled
microorganisms belonging to the Plasmodium group. Malaria
causes symptoms that typically include fever, tiredness, vomiting,
and headaches. In severe cases it can cause yellow
skin, seizures, coma, or death. Symptoms usually begin ten to
fifteen days after being bitten by an infected mosquito. If not
properly treated, people may have recurrences of the disease months
later. In those who have recently survived an infection, reinfection
usually causes milder symptoms. This partial resistance disappears
over months to years if the person has no continuing exposure to
malaria.
The disease is most commonly transmitted by an infected
female Anopheles mosquito. The mosquito bite introduces
the parasites from the mosquito's saliva into a person's blood.
Malaria is typically diagnosed by the microscopic examination of
blood using blood films, or with antigen-based rapid diagnostic
tests.

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The risk of disease can be reduced by preventing mosquito bites
through the use of mosquito nets and insect repellents, or
with mosquito control measures such as spraying insecticides and
draining standing water. Several medications are available
to prevent malaria in travelers to areas where the disease is
common.
 Despite a need, no effective vaccine exists, although efforts to
develop one are ongoing. The recommended treatment for malaria
is a combination of antimalarial medications that includes
an artemisinin. The second medication may be either
mefloquine, lumefantrine, or
sulfadoxine/pyrimethamine. Quinine along with doxycycline may be
used if an artemisinin is not available. It is recommended that in
areas where the disease is common, malaria is confirmed if possible

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before treatment is started due to concerns of increasing drug
resistance.
The disease is widespread in the tropical and subtropical regions
that exist in a broad band around the equator. This includes much
of Sub-Saharan Africa, Asia, and Latin America. In 2016, there
were 216 million cases of malaria worldwide resulting in an
estimated 445,000 to 731,000 deaths. Approximately 90% of both
cases and deaths occurred in Africa. Rates of disease have decreased
from 2000 to 2015 by 37%, but increased from 2014 during which
there were 198 million cases.

KEY FACTS
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✔ Malaria is transmitted when a mosquito infected with the
plasmodium parasite bites a person. The mosquito acts as a carrier
of the plasmodium meaning when a mosquito bites a person
infected with malaria, there is a high chance that the parasite can
be spread to a healthy individual when this mosquito bites that
person.
✔ Did you know that malaria can be caused by four variants of the
same parasite?
✔ Malaria is especially dangerous for pregnant women as the parasite
can pass into the mother’s womb and infect the foetus as well.
Once the foetus has been infected with malaria, it can lead to the
baby being born with a low birth weight and may lead to death.

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 CAUSES
Malaria is caused by the Plasmodium parasite. The parasite can be
spread to humans through the bites of infected mosquitoes.
There are many different types of plasmodium parasite, but only 5 types
cause malaria in humans.
These are:
✔ Plasmodium falciparum – mainly found in Africa, it's the most
common type of malaria parasite and is responsible for most malaria
deaths worldwide
✔ Plasmodium vivax – mainly found in Asia and South America, this
parasite causes milder symptoms than Plasmodium falciparum, but it can
stay in the liver for up to 3 years, which can result in relapses
✔ Plasmodium ovale – fairly uncommon and usually found in West
Africa, it can remain in your liver for several years without producing
symptoms
✔ Plasmodium malariae – this is quite rare and usually only found in
Africa.
✔ Plasmodium knowlesi – this is very rare and found in parts of southeast
Asia.

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7
 TRANSMISSON
The plasmodium parasite is spread by female Anopheles mosquitoes,
which are known as "night-biting" mosquitoes because they most
commonly bite between dusk and dawn.
If a mosquito bites a person already infected with malaria, it can also
become infected and spread the parasite on to other people. However,
malaria can't be spread directly from person to person.
Once you're bitten, the parasite enters the bloodstream and travels to the
liver. The infection develops in the liver before re-entering the
bloodstream and invading the red blood cells.
The parasites grow and multiply in the red blood cells. At regular
intervals, the infected blood cells burst, releasing more parasites into the
blood. Infected blood cells usually burst every 48-72 hours. Each time
they burst, you'll have a bout of fever, chills and sweating.
Malaria can also be spread through blood transfusions and the sharing of
needles, but this is very rare.

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9
 PREVENTION
There's a significant risk of getting malaria if you travel to an
affected area. It's very important you take precautions to prevent
the disease.
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.
These are outlined in more detail below.

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 Preventing bites
It's not possible to avoid mosquito bites completely, but the less you're
bitten, the less likely you are to get malaria.
To avoid being bitten:
✔ Stay somewhere that has effective air conditioning and screening on
doors and windows. If this isn't possible, make sure doors and windows
close properly.
✔ If you're not sleeping in an air-conditioned room, sleep under an intact
mosquito net that's been treated with insecticide.
✔ Use insect repellent on your skin and in sleeping environments.
Remember to reapply it frequently. The most effective repellents contain
diethyltoluamide (DEET) and are available in sprays, roll-ons, sticks and
creams.

Antimalarial tablets
There's currently no vaccine available that offers protection against
malaria, so it's very important to take antimalarial medication to reduce
your chances of getting the disease.
However, antimalarials only reduce your risk of infection by about 90%,
so taking steps to avoid bites is also important.
When taking antimalarial medication:
✔ make sure you get the right antimalarial tablets before you go – check
with your GP or pharmacist if you're unsure

✔ depending on the type you're taking, continue to take your tablets for up
to 4 weeks after returning from your trip to cover the incubation period
of the disease
Check with your GP to make sure you're prescribed a medication you
can tolerate. You may be more at risk from side effects if you:
✔ have HIV or AIDS
✔ have epilepsy or any type of seizure condition

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✔ are depressed or have another mental health condition
✔ have heart, liver or kidney problems
✔ take medicine, such as warfarin, to prevent blood clots

Get immediate medical advice

You must seek medical help straight away if you become ill while
travelling in an area where malaria is found, or after returning from
travelling, even if you've been taking antimalarial tablets.
Malaria can get worse very quickly, so it's important that it's diagnosed
and treated as soon as possible.
If you develop symptoms of malaria while still taking antimalarial
tablets, either while you're travelling or in the days and weeks after you
return, remember to tell the doctor which type you have been taking.
The same type of antimalarial shouldn't be used to treat you as well.

DEET insect repellents

The chemical DEET is often used in insect repellents. It's not
recommended for babies who are less than 2 months old.
DEET is safe for older children, adults and pregnant women if you
follow the manufacturer's instructions:
✔ use on exposed skin
✔ don't spray directly on to your face – spray into your hands and pat on to
your face
✔ avoid contact with lips and eyes
✔ wash your hands after applying
✔ don't apply to broken or irritated skin
✔ make sure you apply DEET after applying sunscreen, not before.

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 TREATMENT
Malaria is treated with antimalarial medications; the ones used depends
on the type and severity of the disease. While medications against
fever are commonly used, their effects on outcomes are not clear.
Simple or uncomplicated malaria may be treated with oral medications.
The most effective treatment for P. falciparum infection is the use
of artemisinins in combination with other antimalarials (known
as artemisinin-combination therapy, or ACT), which decreases
resistance to any single drug component. These additional antimalarials
include: amodiaquine, lumefantrine, mefloquine
or sulfadoxine/pyrimethamine.[94] Another recommended combination
is dihydroartemisinin and piperaquine. ACT is about 90% effective
when used to treat uncomplicated malaria. To treat malaria during
pregnancy, the WHO recommends the use of quinine
plus clindamycin early in the pregnancy (1st trimester), and ACT in later
stages (2nd and 3rd trimesters). In the 2000s (decade), malaria with
partial resistance to artemisins emerged in Southeast Asia.
 Infection with P. vivax, P. ovale or P. malariae usually do not require
hospitalization. Treatment of P. vivax requires both treatment of blood
stages (with chloroquine or ACT) and clearance of liver forms
with primaquine. Treatment with tafenoquine prevents relapses after
confirmed P. vivax malaria.
Severe and complicated malaria are almost always caused by infection
with P. falciparum. The other species usually cause only febrile
disease. Severe and complicated malaria are medical emergencies since
mortality rates are high (10% to 50%). Cerebral malaria is the form of
severe and complicated malaria with the worst neurological symptoms.
 Recommended treatment for severe malaria is the intravenous use of
antimalarial drugs. For severe malaria, parenteral artesunate was
superior to quinine in both children and adults. In another systematic

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review, artemisinin derivatives (artemether and arteether) were as
efficacious as quinine in the treatment of cerebral malaria in
children. Treatment of severe malaria involves supportive measures that
are best done in a critical care unit. This includes the management
of high fevers and the seizures that may result from it. It also includes
monitoring for poor breathing effort, low blood sugar, and low blood
potassium.

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 WHO response…
The WHO Global Technical Strategy for Malaria 2016-2030 – adopted
by the World Health Assembly in May 2015 – provides a technical
framework for all malaria-endemic countries. It is intended to guide and
support regional and country programmes as they work towards malaria
control and elimination.

The Strategy sets ambitious but achievable global targets, including:

✔ Reducing malaria case incidence by at least 90% by 2030.

✔ Reducing malaria mortality rates by at least 90% by 2030.
✔ Eliminating malaria in at least 35 countries by 2030.
✔ Preventing a resurgence of malaria in all countries that are malaria-
free.

This Strategy was the result of an extensive consultative process that

spanned 2 years and involved the participation of more than 400
technical experts from 70 Member States. It is based on 3 key pillars:

✔ ensuring universal access to malaria prevention, diagnosis and

treatment;
✔ accelerating efforts towards elimination and attainment of malaria-
free status; and
✔ Transforming malaria surveillance into a core intervention.

The WHO Global Malaria Programme (GMP) coordinates WHO's

global efforts to control and eliminate malaria by:

✔ setting, communicating and promoting the adoption of evidence-

based norms, standards, policies, technical strategies, and
guidelines;
✔ keeping independent score of global progress;

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✔ developing approaches for capacity building, systems
strengthening, and surveillance; and
✔ Identifying threats to malaria control and elimination as well as
new areas for action.

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 BIBLIOGRAPHY
I am able to make this project and collect the information from the
following resources:

✔ NCERT BIOLOGY TEXTBOOK CLASS XII

✔ OUR BIOLOGY TEACHER: MRS. ANUPAMA MISHRA
✔ http://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/malaria
✔ KIMS BHUBANESWAR

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