The Resurgence of Malaria

Malaria is a disease caused by a parasite that gets into the bloodstream via mosquitoes. Most people have heard of malaria and know that it is most common in the hotter tropical areas like Africa. The parasite is called plasmodium, and there are actually 4 different plasmodium parasites in all that cause malaria, but only one, plasmodium falciparum can be potentially fatal. The plasmodium parasites are spread by only one species of female mosquito, the anopheles mosquito. While the anopheles mosquito is very rare in the United States, any American travelers who have plans to visit countries where it does live should take care to see their doctor and obtain anti-malaria drugs ahead of time.

When the female mosquito bites a person, the tiny baby parasites are released into the blood. The parasites target the liver first where they continue to grow for about a week, then they get back into the bloodstream and infect the red blood cells. This is when they reproduce to the point where they cause the red blood cells to burst open and release an immense amount of parasites. If a mosquito bites an infected person and then bites a non-infected person, it will spread the parasites from the first person into the next. Someone who is infected with the parasites will have symptoms that include fever, sweats, chills, nausea and diarrhea. Once enough of the red blood cells are destroyed, the patient could end up with jaundice and anemia due to the minimized red cells in the body. Once infected, a person will usually start showing symptoms from about a week to three weeks after the initial mosquito bite. A blood test will show if parasites are present in the blood or not.

The plasmodium falciparum can be fatal because it causes extreme damage to the liver or kidneys. The malaria parasites are able to lie dormant in the liver for years. Before any treatment or medicine can be administered correctly, the type of parasite must first be determined. Some parasites have become resistant to some of the medicines. Malaria has been deemed one of the emerging diseases because as people move into previously uninhabited parts of the world, or clear forests for agriculture or cities, they are uncovering new sources of mosquitoes. As they inhabit the new areas where the mosquitoes are present, they become infected in record numbers. Malaria certainly is not a disease of the past, and in fact, it appears to be on the rise. With many migrant workers coming into the United States, the incidence of malaria cases is also increasing. Somewhere around 1200 new cases occur in the United States each year. It is worrying that as more strains of the malaria parasite become resistant to treatment, more cases will begin to surface in the United States, as well as other countries. The best way to avoid infection is to protect oneself against the mosquitoes in the first place. Keep standing water around the home to a minimum and wear protective clothing when in areas where mosquitoes are present.