Current Issues – why we must act:
A visit to Malaria Foundation International’s website provides the following sobering information:
Each year, malaria causes between 300 – 500 million clinical cases.
Over one million people die each year from this disease with children and pregnant women most vulnerable to this fate.
In Africa, where 80% of malaria cases may be treated at home, the disease has been known to kill one child in twenty before the age of five.
60% of hospital admissions within this continent may be for malaria.
Travellers to Sub-Saharan Africa run the greatest risk of both getting malaria and dying from their infection.
In over 100 countries, malaria takes its daily and deadly toll on people.
The saddest fact about the above points is that malaria is a preventable and treatable disease. If sufficient awareness and funds could be raised to fight this disease on a long-term basis, literally millions of lives could be saved.
There are four species of human malaria parasites but only two are highly prevalent: Plasmodium falciparum and Plasmodium vivax
P. falciparum is the parasite that is the major cause of malaria deaths, and it accounts for around 90% of African malaria and about 50% in South East Asia/Latin America.
P. falciparum may exist in blood at low non-clinical levels (due to partially effective immunity or incomplete drug treatment) and then increase to cause obvious illness.
P. vivax can lie dormant in the liver and relapse up to several years after the initial illness. The cause of relapse "trigger" is unknown.
Stage I: Upon infection by the mosquito, the malaria parasites move rapidly into the liver - within ~30 minutes - and reproduce there rapidly for 5 days or more, depending on the species (P. falciparum or P. vivax).
Stage II: The malaria parasite breaks out from the liver, enter the bloodstream, and within minutes invade red blood cells, where they grow and divide. Every 48-72 hours (time differences depend on the species) the red blood cells rupture, dispersing more parasites along with waste products/toxins into the blood stream. This step causes fever, chills and anaemia in the victim - telltale clinical signs of malaria. The released parasites then invade other red blood cells, beginning the cycle again.
If untreated, the malaria disease can progress causing a variety of serious complications. Most seriously, P.falciparum parasites cause blockage of blood vessels; cerebral malaria, coma and death can ensue. For sufferers without partial immunity (e.g. Western travellers, migrant workers), it is possible for death to occur in only 24 hours after the first appearance of symptoms.
P.vivax does not adhere to blood vessels and cause the associated complications; however, unlike P.falicparum, dormant P.vivax can burst out of the liver into the bloodstream months or several years later ready to start the vicious clinical cycle again.
Even if not fatal, malaria infection can potentially make a person vulnerable to death from other causes.
Stage III: Some parasites invade red blood cells and develop into sexual forms that are ingested by uninfected biting mosquitoes, within which they mate and begin to reproduce. These parasites make their way to the salivary glands of the mosquito, ready to move on to another victim when the mosquito takes its next blood meal.
Each year, malaria causes between 300 – 500 million clinical cases.
Over one million people die each year from this disease with children and pregnant women most vulnerable to this fate.
Every 30 seconds, a child somewhere dies of malaria.
Up to 10% of the global population will suffer a case of malaria during any given year.In Africa, where 80% of malaria cases may be treated at home, the disease has been known to kill one child in twenty before the age of five.
60% of hospital admissions within this continent may be for malaria.
Travellers to Sub-Saharan Africa run the greatest risk of both getting malaria and dying from their infection.
In over 100 countries, malaria takes its daily and deadly toll on people.
The saddest fact about the above points is that malaria is a preventable and treatable disease. If sufficient awareness and funds could be raised to fight this disease on a long-term basis, literally millions of lives could be saved.
Malaria Infection Basics:
(Sourced from Malaria Foundation International Fact Pact)There are four species of human malaria parasites but only two are highly prevalent: Plasmodium falciparum and Plasmodium vivax
P. falciparum is the parasite that is the major cause of malaria deaths, and it accounts for around 90% of African malaria and about 50% in South East Asia/Latin America.
P. falciparum may exist in blood at low non-clinical levels (due to partially effective immunity or incomplete drug treatment) and then increase to cause obvious illness.
P. vivax can lie dormant in the liver and relapse up to several years after the initial illness. The cause of relapse "trigger" is unknown.
Carriers of the Malaria Infection:
All human malaria is spread by female ‘Anopheline’ mosquitoes which need a supply of blood in order to produce and lay eggs. These mosquitoes become infected by taking blood from an infected individual. Malaria can also be transmitted by blood transfusion, contaminated needles and syringes and in rare cases, from mother to child before and/or during birth.How human malaria infections occur:
The malaria parasite reproduces inside the infected mosquito forming a sac with thousands of new malaria parasites. (Development of the parasite inside the mosquito is influenced by the outside temperature). In order to infect an individual, the infected mosquito has to live 15 days at which point the parasites burst out of their sac and reach the salivary glands of the mosquito. As a mosquito bites it injects infected saliva.Understanding the Malaria cycle
There are three main stages:Stage I: Upon infection by the mosquito, the malaria parasites move rapidly into the liver - within ~30 minutes - and reproduce there rapidly for 5 days or more, depending on the species (P. falciparum or P. vivax).
Stage II: The malaria parasite breaks out from the liver, enter the bloodstream, and within minutes invade red blood cells, where they grow and divide. Every 48-72 hours (time differences depend on the species) the red blood cells rupture, dispersing more parasites along with waste products/toxins into the blood stream. This step causes fever, chills and anaemia in the victim - telltale clinical signs of malaria. The released parasites then invade other red blood cells, beginning the cycle again.
If untreated, the malaria disease can progress causing a variety of serious complications. Most seriously, P.falciparum parasites cause blockage of blood vessels; cerebral malaria, coma and death can ensue. For sufferers without partial immunity (e.g. Western travellers, migrant workers), it is possible for death to occur in only 24 hours after the first appearance of symptoms.
P.vivax does not adhere to blood vessels and cause the associated complications; however, unlike P.falicparum, dormant P.vivax can burst out of the liver into the bloodstream months or several years later ready to start the vicious clinical cycle again.
Even if not fatal, malaria infection can potentially make a person vulnerable to death from other causes.
Stage III: Some parasites invade red blood cells and develop into sexual forms that are ingested by uninfected biting mosquitoes, within which they mate and begin to reproduce. These parasites make their way to the salivary glands of the mosquito, ready to move on to another victim when the mosquito takes its next blood meal.
