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Malaria

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Bianca Watanabe - Ratilla
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61 views15 pages

Malaria

Uploaded by

Bianca Watanabe - Ratilla
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Malaria

What is Malaria?
• A vector-borne infectious disease that is
widespread in tropical and subtropical regions.

• One of the most common infectious diseases


and an enormous public-health problem.

• Disease is caused by protozoan parasites of


the genus Plasmodium.
• Most serious forms of the disease
are caused by Plasmodium
falciparum and Plasmodium vivax

• Malarial parasites are transmitted by


female Anopheles mosquitoes.
What is Malaria?

Transmission of Malaria Parasites


What are the signs and
symptoms of malaria?
• malaria should be suspected in the
setting of fever (temperature ≥37.5°C)
and relevant epidemiologic exposure
(residence in or travel to an area where
malaria is endemic)

• Febrile paroxysms may occur every other


day for P. vivax, P. ovale, and P.
falciparum and every third day for P.
malariae.
• Uncomplicated malaria
– initial symptoms of malaria are nonspecific and may also include
tachycardia, tachypnea, chills, malaise, fatigue, diaphoresis
(sweating), headache, cough, anorexia, nausea, vomiting, abdominal
pain, diarrhea, arthralgias, and myalgias
– Physical findings may include manifestations of anemia and a
palpable spleen.
– Mild jaundice may also develop in patients with otherwise
uncomplicated falciparum malaria.
– Splenic enlargement is a frequent finding among otherwise healthy
individuals in endemic areas
• Severe malaria
– Altered consciousness with or without seizures
– Respiratory distress or acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS)
– Circulatory collapse
– Metabolic acidosis
– Renal failure, hemoglobinuria ("blackwater fever")
– Hepatic failure
– Coagulopathy with or without disseminated intravascular coagulation
– Severe anemia or massive intravascular hemolysis
– Hypoglycemia
• Cerebral malaria
• The severity depends on a combination of
factors including parasite virulence, host
immune response, and time between onset
of symptoms and initiation of therapy.
• impaired consciousness, delirium, and/or
seizures;
• focal neurologic signs are unusual.
• The onset may be gradual or sudden
following a convulsion.
How to diagnose Malaria?
• The diagnosis of malaria is established in
the setting of symptoms consistent with
malaria and a positive malaria diagnostic
test.

• Clinical tools for parasite-based diagnosis


include microscopy (visualization of
parasites in stained blood smears) and
rapid diagnostic tests (RDTs; which detect
antigen or antibody).
• Microscopy
– allows identification of
the Plasmodium species as well as
quantification of parasitemia.
– Disadvantages include it being labor intensive
and requiring substantial training and
expertise
• Rapid diagnostic tests
– increasingly important diagnostic tools in resource-
limited endemic settings due to their accuracy and
ease of use.
– require no electricity or laboratory infrastructure, give
results within 15 to 20 minutes, and can be performed
successfully even by health workers with limited
training.
– provide a qualitative result but cannot provide
quantitative information regarding parasite density.
What is the treatment for
Malaria?
• Treatment of malaria involves supportive
measures as well as specific antimalarial
drugs like:
– Quinine
– Chloroquine
– Cotrifazid
– Primaquine
– Doxycycline
– Mefloquine
– Hydroxychloroquine
• In the Philippines,
– The Artemether-Lumefantrin (AL) combination
will be the first line medicine in the treatment
of confirmed uncomplicated and severe
Plasmodium falciparum malaria
– If AL is not available, whether the patient is
conscious or unconscious, and in case of
treatment failure, quinine in combination with
either tetracycline or doxycycline or
clindamycin will be the second line treatment.
What are the preventive
measures of Malaria?
• Strategies to disrupt malaria
transmission include effective
deployment of antimalarial drugs,
personal mosquito protection,
mosquito vector control, and
research (including vaccine
development)
• Methods used to prevent the spread of
the disease, or to protect individuals in
areas where malaria is endemic, include:
– Prophylactic (preventive) drugs against
malaria
– Mosquito eradication
– Prevention of mosquito bites

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