Malaria is considered as one of the deadliest diseases that is spread by mosquitoes who have been infected by parasite.

The disease has been spotted in 103 countries across the world and affected more than 3.3 billion people. In addition, around 1,500 cases are found per year in the U.S. The majority of the patients in the U.S. are travelers and immigrants who return from the countries where malaria transmission occurs. As the disease is responsible for so many deaths and chronic illness, colossal amount of money is spent on developing antimalaria drugs. There are several misconceptions regarding the disease and that’s why the article sheds some light on the topic including causes, symptoms, and treatments for malaria.

How is malaria transmitted?

People get malaria by being bitten by an infective female Anopheles mosquito. The disease is considered as rare due to only Anopheles mosquitoes can transmit malaria and it must have been infected because of its previous bite. When a mosquito bites a patient suffering from malaria, it draws a small amount of blood that contains a malaria parasite. Around one week later, when the mosquito bites another person, these parasites mix with their blood causing malaria.

Another way of transmission is through blood transfusion. As the malaria parasite is found in red blood cells of an infected person, it can be shared through blood transfusion or by organ transplant or sharing of syringes and needles. In addition, it can be transmitted from a mother to her unborn infant during delivery. However, malaria is not contagious like cold or flu. Malaria cannot be sexually transmitted or by casual contact such as sitting next to a patient.

What are the common symptoms?

The common symptoms are similar to fever and shaking chills, strong headache, tiredness, and muscle aches. Malaria may lead to anemia and jaundice and if not treated immediately, it could lead to kidney failure, mental confusion, coma, and death.

Usually, most of the patients start to experience such symptoms after 10 days to 4 weeks after the infection. However, there are cases when patient has diagnosed with malaria as late as one year after the infection. The surest way of knowing if one has malaria or not is by blood test, where a drop of blood is examined under microscope for malaria parasite. If you have recently traveled to a malaria-prone country, you should get checked as soon as possible.

What is treatment for malaria?

Malaria can be treated with prescription drugs though the type of drugs and length of treatment depend on the type of the malaria and the infected patient. Malaria is perfectly curable and its parasites can be cleared from a patient’s body with effective drugs and course of treatment.

What are antimalarial drugs?

Antimalarial drugs are used for treatment as well as prevention of malaria infection. Most of antimalarial drugs aim for the infected RBCs that cause symptomatic illness. There are two kinds of malaria: P. vivax and P. ovale. The treatment of the acute blood stage infection is vital for malaria caused by all malaria species. However, for infection due to P. vivax and P. ovale, terminal prophylaxis is required. The type of antimalaria drugs could be from following list:

· Chloroquine: This type of antimalaria drug is prescribed one a week and must be taken about 1 to 2 weeks before the trip and till 4 weeks after the trip. However, the drug does not work against P. falciparum, which is considered as the most common and dangerous type of malaria parasite. You can opt for Chloroquine if the region where malaria is not caused by P. falciparum.

· Mefloquine: One must start taking this drug weekly–before 2 weeks and 4 weeks after the travel. The drug is not harmful for pregnant women, but people with history of heart issues and seizures should not opt for this.

· Atovaquone-proguanil: Start taking this pill daily before two days and after a week after your travel. The side effects of this pill are not observed but pregnant women or people with kidney illness are not recommended. Moreover, the drug is costlier than other malaria drugs.

What is the market for antimalaria drug?

The global antimalaria drug market is booming due to surge in prevalence of malaria and increase in tourism, especially in Africa countries where malaria is prominent. Moreover, favorable government regulations, innovations in anti-malaria therapeutics have boosted the growth of the market. However, the side effects of antimalaria drugs such as dizziness, insomnia, and anxiety hamper the market growth to some extent.

That is all for now.