TOPIC – MALARIA

12TH A
- INTRODUCTION
- KEY FACTS
- CAUSES
- TRANSMISSION
- PREVENTION
- TREATMENT
- CONCLUSION

Malaria is a mosquito-borne infectious disease that affects humans and other animals.

Malaria causes symptoms that typically include  fever,  tiredness,  vomiting,
and headaches. In severe cases, it can cause jaundice,  seizures, coma,
or death. Symptoms usually begin 10 to 15 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.

Malaria is caused by single-celled micro organisms of the Plasmodium group. It is spread

exclusively through bites of infected Anopheles mosquitoes. The mosquito bite
introduces the parasites from the mosquito's saliva into a person's blood.  The parasites
travel to the liver where they mature and reproduce. Five species of Plasmodium can
infect and be spread by humans.  Most deaths are caused by P. Falciparum,
whereas P. Vivax, P. Ovale and P. Malariae generally cause a milder form of
malaria. The species P. Knowlesi rarely causes disease in humans.[3] Malaria is typically
diagnosed by the microscopic examination of blood using blood films, or with antigen-
based rapid diagnostic tests. Methods that use the polymerase chain reaction to detect the
parasite's DNA have been developed, but are not widely used in areas where malaria is
common due to their cost and complexity.

 Malaria is a life-threatening disease caused by parasites that are transmitted to

people through the bites of infected female Anopheles mosquitoes. It is
preventable and curable.
 In 2020, there were an estimated 241 million cases of malaria worldwide.
 The estimated number of malaria deaths stood at 627 000 in 2020.
 The WHO African Region carries a disproportionately high share of the global
malaria burden. In 2020, the region was home to 95% of malaria cases and 96% of
malaria deaths. Children under 5 accounted for about 80% of all malaria deaths in
the Region.
Malaria is caused by infection with parasites in the genus  Plasmodium. In humans, malaria
is caused by six  Plasmodium  species: P. falciparum, P. malariae, P. ovale curtisi, P. ovale
wallikeri, P. vivax and P. knowlesi. Among those infected,  P. falciparum  is the most common
species identified (~75%) followed by P. vivax (~20%). Although P. falciparum traditionally
accounts for the majority of deaths recent evidence suggests that P. vivax malaria is associated
with potentially life-threatening conditions about as often as with a diagnosis of P. falciparum 
infection. P. vivax proportionally is more common outside Africa. There have been documented
human infections with several species of Plasmodium from higher apes; however, except
for P. knowlesi—a zoonotic species that causes malaria in macaques—these are mostly of
limited public health importance.
Parasites are typically introduced by the bite of an infected Anopheles mosquito. These
introduced parasites, called "sporozoites", follow the bloodstream to the liver where they
invade hepatocytes. They grow and divide in the liver for 2–10 days,
with each infected hepatocyte eventually harboring up to 40,000 parasites. The infected
hepatocytes break down, releasing this invasive form of Plasmodium cells, called "merozoites"
into the blood stream. In the blood, the merozoites rapidly invade individual red blood cells,
replicating over 24–72 hours to form 16–32 new merozoites. The infected red blood cell lyses,
and the new merozoites infect new red blood cells, resulting in a cycle that continuously
amplifies the number of parasites in an infected person.

*What Are The Signs And Symptoms Of Malaria?

Signs and symptoms of malaria are similar to flu symptoms. They include:

 Fever and sweating.
 Chills that shake your whole body.
 Headache and muscle aches.
 Fatigue.
 Chest pain, breathing problems and cough.
 Diarrhea, nausea and vomiting.

As malaria gets worse, it can cause anemia and jaundice (yellowing of the skin and

whites of the eyes).
The most severe form of malaria, which may progress to a coma, is known as cerebral
malaria. This type represents about 15% of deaths in children and nearly 20% of adult
deaths.

Usually, people get malaria by being bitten by an infective female Anopheles mosquito.

Only Anopheles mosquitoes can transmit malaria and they must have been infected
through a previous blood meal taken from an infected person. When a mosquito bites an
infected person, a small amount of blood is taken in which contains microscopic malaria
parasites. About 1 week later, when the mosquito takes its next blood meal, these
parasites mix with the mosquito’s saliva and are injected into person being bitten.
Because the malaria parasite is found in red blood cells of an infected person, malaria can
also be transmitted through blood transfusion, organ transplant, or the shared use of
needles or syringes contaminated with blood. Malaria may also be transmitted from a
mother to her unborn infant before or during delivery (“congenital” malaria).

Over the last 2 decades, expanded access to WHO-recommended malaria prevention tools and
strategies – including effective vector control and the use of preventive antimalarial drugs – has
had a major impact in reducing the global burden of this disease.

VECTOR CONTROL

Vector control is a vital component of malaria control and elimination strategies as it is highly
effective in preventing infection and reducing disease transmission. The 2 core interventions are
insecticide-treated nets (ITNs) and indoor residual spraying (IRS).Progress in global malaria
control is threatened by emerging resistance to insecticides among  Anopheles mosquitoes.
According to the latest World malaria report, 78 countries reported mosquito resistance to at
least 1 of the 4 commonly-used insecticide classes in the period 2010–2019. In 29 countries,
mosquito resistance was reported to all main insecticide classes.

PREVENTIVE CHEMOTHERAPIES

Preventive chemotherapy is the use of medicines, either alone or in combination, to prevent

malaria infections and their consequences. It includes chemoprophylaxis, intermittent preventive
treatment of infants (IPTi) and pregnant women (IPTp), seasonal malaria chemoprevention
(SMC) and mass drug administration (MDA). These safe and cost-effective strategies are
intended to complement ongoing malaria control activities, including vector control measures,
prompt diagnosis of suspected malaria, and treatment of confirmed cases with antimalarial
medicines.

VACCINE

Since October 2021, WHO also recommends broad use of the RTS,S/AS01 malaria vaccine
among children living in regions with moderate to high P. falciparum malaria transmission. The
vaccine has been shown to significantly reduce malaria, and deadly severe malaria, among young
children.
It’s important to start treating malaria as soon as possible. Your provider will prescribe
medications to kill the malaria parasite. Some parasites are resistant to malaria drugs.

Some drugs are given in combination with other drugs. The type of parasite will
determine what type of medication you take and how long you take it.

Antimalarial drugs include:

 Artemisinin drugs (artemether and artesunate). The best treatment for Plasmodium

falciparum malaria, if available, is artemisinin combination therapy.
 Atovaquone (Mepron®).
 Chloroquine. There are parasites that are resistant to this medication.
 Doxycycline (Doxy-100®, Monodox®, Oracea®).
 Mefloquine.
 Quinine.
 Primaquine.

Medications can cure you of malaria.

Malaria is an enormous global disease burden, and its eradication is an ambitious
goal.

The disease, caused by mosquito-borne parasites, is present in 102 countries and is

responsible for over 100 million clinical cases and 1 to 2 million deaths each year.
Over the past two decades, efforts to control malaria have met with less and less
success.