Written by Kirsten Batitay | Art by Lily Ozaeta
While summer certainly has its perks, it does not come without its downsides, namely insects and bugs. They are especially abundant, which can prove to be an annoyance to those of us who find them to be unpleasant. In the sweltering heat of summer, we often find our skin covered in mosquito bites, and while we likely see these as uncomfortable but easily treatable, such is not the case for those who live in tropical regions close to the equator and face the biggest risk of being infected with malaria.
Spread by mosquitoes infected with malaria-causing parasites (of which there are five), malaria is a life-threatening disease that affects millions of people globally. The cycle of malaria transmission starts when an infected mosquito bites an uninfected person. The parasites from the mosquito then travel to the liver, where they stay dormant for some time before infecting red blood cells. It is at this point that the infected person starts experiencing symptoms. An uninfected mosquito then bites that person, and the cycle starts again.
Symptoms usually start mildly within 10-15 days of getting bitten, with one having a fever, headache, and chills. Some severe symptoms include extreme fatigue, difficulty breathing, and multiple convulsions. At their worst, some types of malaria can cause complications that lead to death, and some of these are organ failure, breathing problems, and cerebral malaria, in which blood cells filled with parasites block small blood vessels to one’s brain. Given these symptoms, it is important to note that those most at risk of higher infection are infants, pregnant women, children below the age of five, those with HIV or AIDS, and travelers from areas where malaria is not present. In the case of pregnant women, having a malaria infection can cause premature delivery or a baby with a low birth rate, as per the World Health Organization.
Fear-inducing as it is, malaria is preventable and curable, and various measures have been taken to prevent it. The first measure, vector control, aims to control malaria and has two interventions: insecticide-treated nets and indoor residual spraying. Another is preventive chemotherapy, or the use of medicines to prevent infections, a measure usually used in conjunction with vector control for populations vulnerable to malaria. As young children are one of the most at risk, two vaccines may be taken, both of which have been effective in reducing malaria. The last measure that targets another vulnerable group is the use of the drug chemoprophylaxis. Those who plan to travel to areas where malaria is abundant are made to take this drug weeks before and after they do so.
Of course, to properly treat malaria, one must be diagnosed, which is done via parasite-based diagnosis. The medicines used to treat this disease depend on the type of malaria one has, their weight or age, whether they are pregnant, and whether the malaria parasite is resistant to the medicine. The most common medicines are chloroquine, primaquine, and those that are artemisinin-based.
As previously mentioned, some malaria parasites can be resistant to medicine and insecticide-treated nets, which is a current concern for medical professionals working to treat this disease. However, an article by Johns Hopkins University shines a spotlight on scientists who have combined multiple anti-malaria proteins to attack the parasites. Fortunately, this has proven to be an effective method, though it will take time and more studies for it to be fully accepted as a solution.
This summer, it is important to stay safe, and always remember to wear protective clothing and bear mosquito repellent if you do decide to travel to a place where malaria is known to be abundant.
Sources:
“Fact Sheet about Malaria.” World Health Organization, World Health Organization, http://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/malaria. Accessed 21 July 2024.
“Malaria.” Mayo Clinic, Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research, http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/malaria/symptoms-causes/syc-20351184. Accessed 21 July 2024.
“Scientists Engineer Mosquitoes That Resist Malaria Parasite with Combination of Anti-Parasite Molecules.” Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, publichealth.jhu.edu/2020/scientists-engineer-mosquitoes-that-resist-malaria-parasite-with-combination-of-anti-parasite-molecules#:~:text=Anopheles%20mosquitoes%20that%20have%20been,from%20scientists%20at%20Johns%20Hopkins. Accessed 21 July 2024.
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