How does malaria work

When to seek medical attention Seek medical help immediately if you develop symptoms of malaria during or after a visit to an area where the disease is found. What causes malaria? Malaria risk areas Malaria is found in more than countries, mainly in tropical regions of the world, including: large areas of Africa and Asia Central and South America Haiti and the Dominican Republic parts of the Middle East some Pacific islands Malaria is not found in the UK — it may be diagnosed in travellers who return to the UK from risk areas.

Preventing malaria Many cases of malaria can be avoided. An easy way to remember is the ABCD approach to prevention: Awareness of risk — find out whether you're at risk of getting malaria before travelling. Bite prevention — avoid mosquito bites by using insect repellent, covering your arms and legs, and using an insecticide-treated mosquito net.

Check whether you need to take malaria prevention tablets — if you do, make sure you take the right antimalarial tablets at the right dose, and finish the course Diagnosis — seek immediate medical advice if you develop malaria symptoms , as long as up to a year after you return from travelling.

Read more about preventing malaria. Treating malaria If malaria is diagnosed and treated promptly, virtually everyone will make a full recovery. Which type of medication is used and the length of treatment will depend on: the type of malaria the severity of your symptoms where you caught malaria whether you took an antimalarial to prevent malaria whether you're pregnant In some cases, you may be prescribed emergency standby treatment for malaria before you travel.

Read more about treating malaria. Complications of malaria Malaria is a serious illness that can get worse very quickly. It can also cause serious complications, including: severe anaemia — where red blood cells are unable to carry enough oxygen around the body, leading to drowsiness and weakness cerebral malaria — in rare cases, the small blood vessels leading to the brain can become blocked, causing seizures, brain damage and coma The effects of malaria are usually more severe in pregnant women, babies, young children and the elderly.

The parasite is transmitted to humans most commonly through mosquito bites. Because the parasites that cause malaria affect red blood cells, people can also catch malaria from exposure to infected blood, including:. The greatest risk factor for developing malaria is to live in or to visit areas where the disease is common. These include the tropical and subtropical regions of:. The degree of risk depends on local malaria control, seasonal changes in malaria rates and the precautions you take to prevent mosquito bites.

In many countries with high malaria rates, the problem is worsened by lack of access to preventive measures, medical care and information. Residents of a malaria region may be exposed to the disease enough to acquire a partial immunity, which can lessen the severity of malaria symptoms. However, this partial immunity can disappear if you move to a place where you're no longer frequently exposed to the parasite. Malaria can be fatal, particularly when caused by the plasmodium species common in Africa.

Some varieties of the malaria parasite, which typically cause milder forms of the disease, can persist for years and cause relapses. If you live in or are traveling to an area where malaria is common, take steps to avoid mosquito bites.

Mosquitoes are most active between dusk and dawn. To protect yourself from mosquito bites, you should:. If you'll be traveling to a location where malaria is common, talk to your doctor a few months ahead of time about whether you should take drugs before, during and after your trip to help protect you from malaria parasites.

In general, the drugs taken to prevent malaria are the same drugs used to treat the disease. What drug you take depends on where and how long you are traveling and your own health. This process is known as epigenetic regulation. As the gene moves between special regions in the nucleus, the frequency of switching changes.

Skip to content News. No, not necessarily. Malaria can be treated. If the right drugs are used, people who have malaria can be cured and all the malaria parasites can be cleared from their body. However, the disease can continue if it is not treated or if it is treated with the wrong drug. Some drugs are not effective because the parasite is resistant to them.

Some people with malaria may be treated with the right drug, but at the wrong dose or for too short a period of time. Two types species of parasites, Plasmodium vivax and P. People diagnosed with P. Another type of malaria, P. However, in general, if you are correctly treated for malaria, the parasites are eliminated and you are no longer infected with malaria. Malaria typically is found in warmer regions of the world — in tropical and subtropical countries.

Higher temperatures allow the Anopheles mosquito to thrive. Malaria parasites, which grow and develop inside the mosquito, need warmth to complete their growth before they are mature enough to be transmitted to humans. Malaria occurs in more than countries and territories. Yet malaria does not occur in all warm climates. For example, malaria has been eliminated in some countries with warm climates, while a few other countries have no malaria because Anopheles mosquitoes are not found there.

In Africa south of the Sahara, the principal malaria mosquito, Anopheles gambiae , transmits malaria very efficiently. The type of malaria parasite most often found, Plasmodium falciparum , causes severe, potentially fatal disease.

Lack of resources and political instability can prevent the building of solid malaria control programs. In addition, malaria parasites are increasingly resistant to antimalarial drugs, presenting one more barrier to malaria control on that continent. What constitutes a rural area can vary by country.

In general, urbanization can be said to involve both population size and economic development of an area in which there is concentrated commercial activity, such as manufacturing, the sale of goods and services, and transportation.

Rural areas tend to have less commercial activity, less population density, more green space, and agriculture may be a main feature. Eradication means that no more malaria exists in the world.

Malaria has been eliminated from many developed countries with temperate climates. However, the disease remains a major health problem in many developing countries, in tropical and subtropical parts of the world. An eradication campaign was started in the s, but it failed globally because of problems including the resistance of mosquitoes to insecticides used to kill them, the resistance of malaria parasites to drugs used to treat them, and administrative issues.

In addition, the eradication campaign never involved most of Africa, where malaria is the most common. Agency for International Development, , and the World Health Organization, as well as in 21 malaria-endemic countries.

Their work spans the spectrum of policy development, program guidance and support, scientific research, and monitoring and evaluation of progress toward RBM and PMI goals. Commercial Availability of Artesunate for Injection. Contact Us. Skip directly to site content Skip directly to page options Skip directly to A-Z link. Section Navigation. Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Syndicate. Minus Related Pages.