Essay About Malaria

Malaria Essay
Malaria
There are a great number of diseases that are endemic in many of the poorer, developing nations
due to the lack of sanitation and disease prevention programs in these areas. The steady increase of
malaria epidemics in many of the African countries is a point of great concern, because this
continent is home to 90% of the world's total cases of this particular disease.
Malaria gets its name from "mal aria," meaning bad air, because patients used to blame the sudden
illness on the poor air quality of the nearby swamps. Scientists now know that malaria is a parasitic
infection caused by a single–celled protozoan, Plasmodium. Of the four types of this parasite,
Plasmodium falciparum is recognized as the most...show more content...
This is largely due to the misuse of the prescription antibiotic and a lack of education on how to
properly take the medication. The symptoms of malaria will sometimes be alleviated in a very short
time of taking the antibiotic and patients will stop refilling their prescription, assuming that they
have been cured. The medication should still be taken, however, to insure that the infection has been
eliminated from the body completely, not to return again with an increased severity as happens in
some patients. The misuse of antibiotic drugs contributes to the growing number of resistant
populations of Plasmodium, a chief concern in the care of malarial patients, because these patients
do not respond to the DDT antibiotics and, therefore, must seek alternative methods of treatment.
Unlike that of many other diseases that, unfortunately, plague the world's population today, the
technology exists for the prevention, treatment, and cure of malaria and it is widely used. The
prevalence of the disease in many of the tropical regions is due to the harsh reality that many of
these people cannot afford the antibiotics or mosquito repellents that could easily save their lives.
The absence of effective sanitation programs is also a leading cause of uncontrolled disease
outbreaks because the bacteria or parasite has an increased available breeding ground. The only
method of decreasing
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Infectious Disease: Malaria Essay
Section 1
Malaria
General Information
Malaria is a common infectious disease found mainly in the tropics but in rare circumstances can be
found in temperate areas. Depending on the circumstances malaria can be either life threatening
cause serious illness.
It is caused by parasites of the Plasmodium species(in text reference). These parasites are carried by
mosquitoes which become infected after biting someone who has malaria. Malaria is then passed on
to others when the infected mosquito bites another person. In rare cases malaria can be passed to
another person through blood transfusions, organ donations or shared needles.
On average there are around 300–500 million people who become infected with malaria every year,
with most of the...show more content...
Signs and Symptoms
Symptoms that are usually associated with yellow fever include fever, poor appetite, nausea, chills,
muscle pains in the back and headaches abdominal back pain. These symptoms usually subside after
five days. These symptoms sometimes reoccur. Abdominal pain and liver damage starts causing
yellow skin. There also is a higher chance of kidney problems. About 15–15% then proceed to the
'toxic' stage of which around 50% then die around 14 days after catching yellow fever.
Dengue Fever
General Information
Dengue fever is a mosquito–transmitted virus, it is a Flavivirus which is the same genus as yellow
fever. There are five different varieties of the virus and being infected usually gives lifelong
immunity to that particular variety and short–term immunity to the other varieties. However this also
increases the risk of having a severe reaction to the other types, this risk rises with exposure to
another type and so on.
Symptoms and Treatment
Symptoms from the virus include headaches, back pain, joint pains, fever and a skin rash, which is
similar in appearance to measles. A small percentage of infections the disease develops into a life
threatening dengue haemorrhagic fever, which results in bleeding, low levels of blood platelets and
blood plasma leakage. The other life threatening possibility is dengue shock syndrome; this

Understanding Malaria Essay
Understanding Malaria
For several years, I have had an interest in virology and the spread and characteristics of various
infectious diseases. Though it makes sense not to possibly induce a state of panic by informing
individuals of illnesses that are not native to the area they live in and that they are not likely to
contract, I have always liked to remain informed out of my own curiosity and interest. Thus, I have
decided to write about malaria.
Malaria kills more people than any communicable disease except for tuberculosis. It is caused by
four species of parasitic protozoa that infect human red blood cells. Four different types of these
protozoa are known: protozoa falciparum, protozoa vivax, protozoa ovale, and...show more content...
Malaria, however, is not unique to Africa. There are a multitude of documented cases in Asia
annually, particularly in countries such as India, Bangladesh, Vietnam, and Cambodia. Malaria has
also been known to occur in portions of Iran and the Middle East. Lower altitude regions of South
and Central America also have their share of annual malaria cases, but control programs set up in
those regions typically keep things under control. Generally, North America, Europe, and the
Carribean have been highly successful in the control and elimination of malaria, although isolated,
rare cases of local transmission have occured in Haiti, Turkey, and the Dominican Republic.
Medical treatment for malaria is available and the disease is curable if promptly diagnosed and
treated well. This is crucial because those who have malaria parasites available for mosquitoes to
feed on are perpetuating the spread of the disease. However, if these people are treated with the
appropriate drugs, the parasites disappear from their bloodstream. This helps to reduce the
transmission of the disease. Unfortunately, not everyone is responsive to drug treatments for malaria
and thus a variety of alternatives need to be available. Not everyone with malaria parasites in their
bloodstream shows the symptoms of malaria and the disease itself is becoming resistant to some of
the drugs used to treat

Essay Malaria
Malaria (also called biduoterian fever, blackwater fever, falciparum malaria, plasmodium, Quartan
malaria, and tertian malaria) is one of the most infectious and most common diseases in the world.
This serious, sometimes–fatal disease is caused by a parasite that is carried by a certain species of
mosquito called the Anopheles. It claims more lives every year than any other transmissible disease
except tuberculosis. Every year, five hundred million adults and children (around nine percent of the
world's population) contract the disease and of these, one hundred million people die. Children are
more susceptible to the disease than adults, and in Africa, where ninety percent of the world's cases
occur and where eighty percent of the...show more content...
To contract malaria, a mosquito, but not just any mosquito must bite a human. The only type of
mosquito that can infect humans with the malaria virus is the Anopheles mosquito. While there are
around three hundred eighty species of the Anopheline mosquito, only about sixty are actually able
to spread the disease to humans. Also, only female mosquitoes can distribute the disease, as male
mosquitoes do not feed on humans.
Mosquitoes pass malaria to humans through their salivary glands. Once the parasites have entered
the blood stream, they go to the liver. In the liver they mature and undergo reproduction, forming
merozoites. These merozoites enter the blood stream and inject themselves into red blood cells.
Once inside the blood cells, they reproduce rapidly and within forty–eight to seventy–two hours, the
blood cell bursts, releasing hemoglobin into the blood stream. It is the destruction of these blood
cells and the hemoglobin released into the blood stream that actually causes most of the symptoms.
While the most common way malaria is transmitted is from mosquitoes to humans, there are other
ways of catching the disease. One way is from mother to her unborn child. When a disease is
contracted this way it is said to have been transmitted congenitally. Another way is during blood
transfusions. This is why it is important to be tested for

Malaria Essay
Malaria is regarded as one of the world's deadliest tropical parasitic diseases. It claims more lives
than any other communicable disease except tuberculosis. In Africa and other developing countries,
it also accounts for millions of dollars in medical costs. Malaria, however, is a curable disease if
promptly diagnosed and adequately treated.
Malaria is a mosquito–borne disease caused by the parasite plasmodium. In recent years, most cases
in the U.S. have been in people who have acquired the disease after travelling to tropical and
sub–tropical areas. Over 200 million cases worldwide are reported each year.
Estimates of deaths caused by malaria exceed 1 million each year, with the majority being African
children. Other groups at risk...show more content...
Areas Stricken with the Disease
Malaria strikes poverty–stricken with the hardest blow. Malaria prevalent areas include some of the
world's poorest nations. In Africa, medical costs and related expenses have been estimated at 1–5%
gross domestic product.
Farming communities are particularly affected as well. In rural areas, the rainy season is a time of
intense agricultural activity, when poor families earn most of their income. When malaria strikes at
this time, these families are unable to make a living.
Malaria and Children
Malaria claims the life of a child every 30 seconds. This disease has reached epidemic proportions
in many regions of the world, and continues to grow unchecked. Malaria kills 3,000 children under
five years of age every day. This rate exceeds the mortality toll from AIDS.
Young African are chronic victims of malaria, suffering an average of six bouts a year. Too often,
severely afflicted children die less than 72 hours after developing the symptoms. Of the children who
survive, malaria also drains vital nutrients, impairing their physical and intellectual development.
Malaria is also particularly dangerous pregnant women. It causes severe anemia, and is a major
factor contributing to maternal deaths in malaria infected areas. Pregnant mothers who have malaria
and are HIV–positive are more likely to pass on their HIV status to the unborn child.
Economic Costs
The estimated economic costs of malaria are enormous.

Essay on malaria
It is one of the ten deadliest diseases of all time. It effects men, women, children, and animals. It is
in full force in Africa, India, Asia, China, South America, and the Caribbean. This disease is
malaria. Nearly 40 percent of the world's population lives in areas that are effected by the disease.
Malaria is a serious, infectious disease spread by certain mosquitoes. It is caused by infection with
the Plasmodium genus of the protozoan parasite. More than one hundred species of this parasite
exist. It is capable of infecting reptiles, birds, rodents, and primates. Four species infect human
beings, the most common being P.vivax and P. falciparum.
...show more content...
The period between the two is usually 8 and 12 days for falciparum malaria, and up to a month for
other types. Symptoms from some strains of P.Vivax may not be seen for up to 8–10 months.
The primary symptom of all types of malaria is the "malaria ague" (chills and fever). In most
cases the fever has three stages. Uncontrollable shivering for an hour or two, followed by a rapid
rise in temperature as high as (106 degrees) which lasts for three hours. Then just as suddenly the
patient begins to sweat profusely. Other symptoms may include fatigue, severe headache, or
nausea and vomiting. As the sweat goes away the patient feels weak and falls asleep. In many
cases this cycle of chills, fever, and sweating occurs every other day, or they may last for between
a week and a month. Those with the chronic form of malaria may have a relapse as long as 50 years
after the initial infection.
Falciparum malaria is far more severe than other types of malaria because the parasite attacks all
red blood cells, not just the young or old cells, as do other types. It causes the red blood cells to
become very "sticky". A patient with this type can die within hours of the first symptoms. The fever
is prolonged. So many red blood cells are destroyed that they block the blood vessels in vital organs
(especially the kidneys) and the spleen can become enlarged. There may be brain damage,

Malaria Essay
Malaria
Malaria parasites have been with us since the beginning of time, and fossils of mosquitoes up to
thirty million years old show that malaria's vector has existed for just as long. The parasites causing
malaria are highly specific, with man as the only host and mosquitoes as the only vector. Every year,
300,000,000 people are affected by malaria, and while less than one percent of these people die,
there are still an estimated 1,500,000 deaths per year. While
Malaria was one of the first infectious diseases to be treated successfully with a drug, scientist are
still looking for a cure or at least a vaccination today
(Cann, 1996). Though many people are aware that malaria is a disease, they are
unaware...show more content...
Here, sexual forms of the parasite develop in the stomach of the Anopheles mosquito completing the
parasites life cycle (Herman, 1996).
People infected malaria have several symptoms including fever, chills, headaches, weakness, and an
enlarged spleen (Herman, 1996). The amount of time for symptoms to appear differs depending on
the form of the parasite. Those infected with Plasmodium falciparum experience symptoms after
about twenty–four hours, those infected with Plasmodium vivax and Plasmodium ovale produce
symptoms after a forty–eight hour interval, and after seventy–two hours
Plasmodium malariae begin causing fever and chills (Cann, 1996).
Most malaria cases seem to cluster in the tropical climate areas extending into the subtropics, and
malaria is especially endemic in Africa. In
1990 eighty percent of all reported cases were in Africa, while the remainder of most cases came
from nine countries: India, Brazil, Afghanistan, Sri–Lanka,
Thailand, Indonesia, Vietnam, Cambodia, and China. Globally, the disease circulates in almost one
hundred countries causing up to 1,500,000 deaths annually (Cann, 1996).
Because there is no definite cure for malaria, scientists are trying their hardest to contain the parasite
to where it now exists. The range of a vector from a suitable habitat is fortunately limited to a
maximum

Essay on Malaria and DDT
Malaria and DDT
Malaria has been a huge problem among many developing nations over the past century. The
amount of people in the entire world that die from malaria each year is between 700,000 and 2.7
million. 75% of these deaths are African children (Med. Letter on CDC & FDA, 2001). 90% of the
malaria cases in the world are located in Sub–Saharan Africa. Once again, the majority of these
deaths are of children (Randerson, 2002). The numbers speak for themselves. Malaria is a huge
problem and needs to be dealt with immediately.
There have been many attempts at preventing malaria, none of which have been very successful.
These have usually involved protecting human beings from mosquitoes, the dreaded carriers...show
more content...
Even more time may pass before the drug is widely available throughout the world.
With all this focus on the development of new drugs to combat malaria, an old effective method
has been forgotten. The chemical DDT (dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane) has proven effective in
reducing malaria cases. Popularly used as a pesticide in the middle of the twentieth century, killed
the mosquito population that was responsible for malaria related deaths. The number of people in
India that contracted malaria in the 1940's was approximately 75 million a year with 800,000
dying as a result. With the introduction of DDT, the number of cases dropped to 50,000 by 1961.
Similar cases have been documented in Sri Lanka, where the number of cases dropped in 18 years
from 3 million to 29 after the introduction of DDT ("DDT Delirium," 2002). The difference in
numbers is staggering.
It would appear that DDT would be the obvious choice to prevent cases of malaria in developing
nations and all over the world. However, DDT is not without its potential hazards. DDT was used
as a pesticide in the United States until it was banned in 1972. First employed as an insecticide in
1939, the white powder would kill massive amounts of mosquito larvae. Paul MГјller actually won
the Nobel Prize for first using the chemical on insects. The pesticide was used throughout the United
States to combat more kinds of insect–pests such as gypsy moths. It was not

Malaria Essay
Malaria (also called biduoterian fever, blackwater fever, falciparum malaria, plasmodium, Quartan
malaria, and tertian malaria) is one of the most infectious and most common diseases in the world.
This serious, sometimes–fatal disease is caused by a parasite that is carried by a certain species of
mosquito called the Anopheles. It claims more lives every year than any other transmissible disease
except tuberculosis. Every year, five hundred million adults and children (around nine percent of the
world's population) contract the disease and of these, one hundred million people die. Children are
more susceptible to the disease than adults, and in Africa, where ninety percent of the world's cases
occur and where eighty percent of the cases...show more content...
Also, only female mosquitoes can distribute the disease, as male mosquitoes do not feed on humans.
Mosquitoes pass malaria to humans through their salivary glands. Once the parasites have entered
the blood stream, they go to the liver. In the liver they mature and undergo reproduction, forming
merozoites. These merozoites enter the blood stream and inject themselves into red blood cells. Once
inside the blood cells, they reproduce rapidly and within forty–eight to seventy–two hours, the blood
cell bursts, releasing hemoglobin into the blood stream. It is the destruction of these blood cells and
the hemoglobin released into the blood stream that actually causes most of the symptoms.
While the most common way malaria is transmitted is from mosquitoes to humans, there are other
ways of catching the disease. One way is from mother to her unborn child. When a disease is
contracted this way it is said to have been transmitted congenitally. Another way is during blood
transfusions. This is why it is important to be tested for diseases such as malaria before you give
blood.
Malaria is diagnosed in two different ways. The most exact way is by an examination of the blood.
To do this, a doctor would take a drop of blood, stain it, and look at it under a microscope to see if
there were any parasites in it. Diagnosing malaria by the symptoms it causes is not as exact as
blood examination, but is used a lot in Africa, where most cases are treated at

Malaria Research Paper
Malaria is a serious disease caused by a parasite. Infected mosquitoes spread it. Malaria is very
common throughout the world. In the United States, the main risk is to persons traveling to tropical
and subtropical countries where malaria is a problem. There are four different types of malaria
caused by four related parasites. The most deadly type occurs in Africa south of the Sahara Desert.
The symptoms characteristic of malaria include fever, chills, muscle aches, and headache. Cycles
of chills, fever, and sweating that recur every 1, 2 or 3 days are typical. There can sometimes be
vomiting, diarrhoea, coughing and yellowing (jaundice) of the skin and whites of the eyes. The
treatment for malaria depends upon the geographic area where a person has been infected with the
disease. Different areas of the world have malaria types that are resistant to certain medications.
Malaria is a disease which can be transmitted to people of all ages. It is caused by parasites of the
species Plasmodium that are spread from person to person through the bites of infected mosquitoes.
Malaria is a parasitic disease that involves infection of the red blood cells. Of the four types of
malaria, the most serious type is falciparum malaria, which can be life–threatening. The other three
types of malaria (vivax, malariae, and ovale) are generally less serious and are not life–threatening.
The scientific name of...show more content...
Jaundice.
3. Stools, bloody.
4. Muscle pain.
5. Anemia.
6. Headache.
7. Nausea and vomiting.
Treatment of Malaria
Prevention of malaria what is practiced in epidemic areas is by spraying insecticides like DDT.
Many new drugs are available for malaria, however most of the drugs are derived from Quinine
derivatives. Malaria often requires treatment with medicine (antimalarial medications). Most of the
time antimalarial medications effectively treat the infection; however, some malaria parasites may
survive because they are in the liver or are resistant to the

Essay On Malaria
Several species can cause human malaria and most of these species have drug resistant making
treatment approach highly dependable on the species that caused it. Multi–drug resistant
Plasmodium falciparum malaria had been treated with many different, both single and combinations
of drugs. The most common type that is known to be effective is the artemisinin–based combination
therapy also known as ACT; a combination of artermisinin and its derivatives and longer–acting
antimalarial drugs. Studies conducted by Pousibet–Puerto et al. shows the effectiveness of ACT
treatment to those with uncomplicated malaria from Plasmodium falciparum compared to those
getting the classic treatment, comparing the length of their hospital stays and their...show more
content...
The average hospital stay and parasite clearance period for those treated with the ACT treatments
were 2.67 days and 24 hours, respectively. While the other group treated with quinine had an
average hospital stay of 3.96 days and a parasite clearance period of 48 hours. Uncomplicated P.
falciparum malaria can be effectively and safely managed with ACT. ACT treatment reduces hospital
stays and produces a more rapid parasite clearance than the classic treatments, resulting in overall
healthcare saving. In addition, various articles that have been published regarding the use of
artemisinin derivatives have shown superior results compared to other treatments resulting in as the
first–line drug recommended in the main national and international guidelines. Quinine is now
relegated as the second–line treatment in case ACT is unavailable or in cases where
contraindications exist.
Combining two different drugs with different mechanisms of actions makes ACTs the most effective
antimalarial medicines available today. It has been adopted by World Health Organization as the
first–line treatment for uncomplicated malaria such as P. falciparum. Brunetti (2016) suggested that
the ACT treatment dosages for uncomplicated P. falciparum are as follows:
Artemether plus lumefantrine: Doses are given twice daily for 3 days depending on body weight, as
follows: o 5 to <15kg: 20 + 120 mg o 15 to <25kg: 40 + 240 mg o 25 to <35kg: 60 + 360 mg
o

There are currently five distinct protozoan vertebrate Plasmodium species identified as causal
agents of malaria in humans: P. falciparum, P. vivax, P. ovalae, P. malariae, and P. knowlesi, with
the most common, P. falciparum, accounting for approximately seventy percent of all cases. The
female Anopheles gambiae is a vector for all plasmodia of malaria, as observed by Ronald Ross in
1897 (Nobel Media, 2014) , and acquires the Plasmodium by feeding on the blood of an already
infected human. Subsequently, the Plasmodium multiplies, and migrates from the midgut of the
insect to the oesophagus, ready to be regurgitated into the bloodstream when the mosquito obtains a
blood meal from a human (NIH, 2017) . Ultimately, once inoculated by the...show more content...
Alternatively, in the P. vivax and P. ovale species, it is possible that the disease will prove
asymptomatic, though not benign, for many months (Chen et al, 2016) , as the sporozoites are able
to remain 'dormant' in the liver as hypnozoites. However, it is more common that symptoms will
appear within one month of being bitten by a carrier mosquito (Herchline, 2017) .
The life cycle of the malaria plasmodia once inside the body is both complex and systematic (see
Figure 1). For example, in the case of P. falciparum, the parasite adheres to the vascular endothelium
of the vital organs of its host, such as the liver, as well as subcutaneous adipose tissues, in a process
of cytoadherence. In the hepatic stage, the Plasmodium enters hepatocytes as a sporozoite, and
multiplies, forming a schizont, which will rupture and invade surrounding erythrocytes. The
Plasmodium, in the form of a merozoite, then replicates by asexual intraerythrocytic reproduction,
and changes the antigenicity of an erythrocyte, causing it to adhere to neighbouring cells.
Sequestration of erythrocytes in this manner can cause blockages within the blood vessels; in the
brain, this can lead to cerebral malaria– a fatal complication of malaria. Additionally, the
congregation of erythrocytes facilitates the movement of the Plasmodium from one cell to the next,
encouraging the rapid replication of the parasite within cells.

Essay About Malaria

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