Malaria Treatment FAQ:
What are the ways in which the human body protects itself from the parasitic pathogen that causes malaria and if the body fails (how does it?) how can the parasite spread?
What are the ways in which the human body protects itself from the parasitic pathogen that causes malaria and if the body fails (how does it?) how can the parasite spread?
please include references
thank you
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
I’ve had Malaria when I lived in Ivory Coast, and I can’t say how the body fought it…but with constant sleep, drinking a lot of fluids, and taking medicine…I was able to recover after a week. That was probably the worst illness I caught…I was so weak, vomited a lot, constant hot and cold chills…it really put me on my a**.
I guess my case was milder than others…I had some friends who had to be hospitalized and monitored…but they all recovered. Many people die from Malaria mainly because the local population can’t really afford the treatment.
Malaria is caused by a parasite called Plasmodium. The survival rate is pretty grim because the mutation rate is so high. It would be very difficult to create a good cure or a vaccine because it is constantly changing. Artemisinin-based therapies are currently used to treat people with malaria. However, prevention is always best. Careful use of DDT (careless use would lead to DDT-resistant mosquitoes and environmental damage) and other insecticides and bug repellent can help to decreases the chances of being bitten. Mosquito nets are also a good way to prevent being bitten.
This website could probably answer many of your questions.. Just scroll down
to the subheading Malaria.