What is Malaria?
Malaria is an infectious disease that is transmitted through mosquito bites. Malaria is caused by parasites in blood, namely plasmodium. There are two main kinds of malaria, Plasmodium falciparum and Plasmodium vivax. The former is a severe type that may kill patients whereas the latter is mild but chronic.
Malaria is a disease of the blood that is transmitted to people by infected mosquitoes. 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. What is the infectious agent that causes malaria? Malaria is caused by any one of four species of one-celled parasites, called Plasmodium. The parasite is spread to people by the female Anopheles mosquito, which feeds on human blood. Although four species of malaria parasites can infect humans and cause illness, only malaria caused by Plasmodium falciparum is potentially life-threatening. Where is malaria found? Malaria transmission occurs in large areas of Central and South America, sub-Saharan Africa, the Indian subcontinent, Southeast Asia, the Middle East, and Oceania.
Malaria is the most important tropical disease, remaining widespread throughout the tropics, but also occurring in many temperate regions. It exacts a heavy toll of illness and death – especially amongst children and pregnant women. It also poses a risk to travelers and immigrants, with imported cases increasing in non-endemic areas. Treatment and control have become more difficult with the spread of drug-resistant strains of parasites and insecticide-resistant strains of mosquito vectors. Health education, better case management, better control tools and concerted action are needed to limit the burden of the disease. Malaria has become a global problem. It is endemic in 105 countries and is responsible for over 300 to 500 million clinical cases and more than a million deaths each year. During the 1950s and 1960s a vigorous campaign to eradicate malaria was waged through out the world with great success. The disease was in the process of being eliminated in some regions.
A. Malaria is a serious and sometimes fatal disease caused by a parasite. Patients with malaria typically are very sick with high fevers, shaking chills, and flu-like illness. Four kinds of malaria parasites can infect humans: Plasmodium falciparum, P. vivax, P. ovale, and P. malariae. Infection with any of the malaria species can make a person feel very ill; infection with P. falciparum, if not promptly treated, may be fatal. Although malaria can be a fatal disease, illness and death from malaria are largely preventable.
alaria is an infectious disease caused by the parasite called Plasmodia. There are four identified species of this parasite causing human malaria, namely, Plasmodium vivax, P. falciparum, P. ovale and P. malariae. It is transmitted by the female anopheles mosquito. It is a disease that can be treated in just 48 hours, yet it can cause fatal complications if the diagnosis and treatment are delayed. It is re-emerging as the # 1 Infectious Killer and it is the Number 1 Priority Tropical Disease of the World Health Organization. Malaria is a major global health problem World Malaria Map • Malaria affects more than 2400 million people, over 40% of the world’s population, in more than 100 countries in the tropics from South America to the Indian peninsula. The tropics provide ideal breeding and living conditions for the anopheles mosquito, and hence this distribution.
