Malaria: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 12:02, 11 June 2012

Malaria is an infectious disease of humans and other animals caused by microorganism of the genus Plasmodium. The microorganisms first infect the liver, and then act as parasites within red blood cells, causing symptoms that typically include fever and headache, in severe cases progressing to coma or death.

Types of malaria

Five species of malaria can be distinguished, triggered by different Plasmodium species. Severe disease is caused by P. falciparum while the disease caused by P. vivax, P. ovale, and P. malariae is generally a milder form that is rarely fatal. P. knowlesi, prevalent in Southeast Asia, causes malaria in macaques and can also cause severe infections in humans.

Preventing malaria

To some extend, some people (often those living in area's where the disease is endemic) have evolved to be partially genetically resistant to malaria. This resistance is often accomplished by diseases as sickle cell disease, thalassaemias, glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase deficiency as well as the presence of Duffy antigens on the subject's red blood cells.

People that do have not acquired such defenses will soon still be able to attain natural resistance trough a malaria vaccine. Some vaccines are allready on the market but are not yet 100% efficient.

Suitable additional measures to prevent malaria are the use of

mosquito nets
insect-repellents (ie sprayed on the person's skin, or aerated in rooms)

Malaria medication is often only usable for a short duration (ie upto a few months) and depending on the medication, may also be expensive to very expensive, rendering them useless to (often economically challenged) people living within regions where the disease is endemic.

External links

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-Malaria is "an acute or chronic disease caused by the presence of sporozoan parasites of the genus Plasmodium in the red blood cells, transmitted from an infected to an uninfected individual by the bite of anopheline mosquitoes, and characterized by periodic attacks of chills and fever that coincide with mass destruction of blood cells and the release of toxic substances by the parasite at the end of each reproductive cycle malaria remains the greatest single cause of debilitation and death throughout the world. -- ''Journal of the American Medical Association'' from [http://www2.merriam-webster.com/cgi-bin/mwmednlm?book=Medical&va=malaria NIH/Merriam Webster Medical Dictionary]<br />
+Malaria is an [[infectious disease]] of humans and other animals caused by microorganism of the genus Plasmodium. The microorganisms first infect the liver, and then act as parasites within red blood cells, causing symptoms that typically include fever and headache, in severe cases progressing to coma or death.
+==Types of malaria==
+Five species of malaria can be distinguished, triggered by different Plasmodium species. Severe disease is caused by P. falciparum while the disease caused by P. vivax, P. ovale, and P. malariae is generally a milder form that is rarely fatal. P. knowlesi, prevalent in Southeast Asia, causes malaria in macaques and can also cause severe infections in humans.
+==Preventing malaria==
+To some extend, some people (often those living in area's where the disease is endemic) have evolved to be partially genetically resistant to malaria. This resistance is often accomplished by diseases as sickle cell disease, thalassaemias, glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase deficiency as well as the presence of Duffy antigens on the subject's red blood cells.
-== Interwiki links ==
+People that do have not acquired such defenses will soon still be able to attain natural resistance trough a malaria vaccine. Some vaccines are allready on the market but are not yet 100% efficient.
-* [[Wikipedia:Malaria]]
+Suitable additional measures to prevent malaria are the use of
+* mosquito nets
+* insect-repellents (ie sprayed on the person's skin, or aerated in rooms)
+Malaria medication is often only usable for a short duration (ie upto a few months) and depending on the medication, may also be expensive to very expensive, rendering them useless to (often economically challenged) people living within regions where the disease is endemic.
 == External links ==
+* [[Wikipedia:Malaria]]
 * SMS fights malaria [http://www.wired.com/epicenter/2010/04/sms-fights-malaria-scourge-in-africa/]
+* [http://www2.merriam-webster.com/cgi-bin/mwmednlm?book=Medical&va=malaria NIH/Merriam Webster Medical Dictionary]
 [[Category:Diseases]]
 [[Category:Water]]