Malaria Is A Disease Transmitted By Parasites

Malaria infection is caused by parasitic protozoan plasmodium. Several species of malaria parasites exist but the most fatal known is plasmodium falciparum. It enters the liver and replicates itself by getting into the red blood cell and ripping its way out when fully matured. It was once thought that the US military got close to completely eradicating the vector mosquito through DDT (dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane) and the parasitic plasmodium with vaccines until they discovered that both are capable of mutating and gained the ability to be resistant to any chemicals scientists could produce (Horizon, 2005).

Malaria, on the other hand, was far off more deadly then Yellow fever for it consisted of parasites (Malaria). An engineer once quoted “If we could control malaria, I would be less anxious about other diseases. If we cannot control malaria, our mortality is going to very heavy” (American Canal Construction). Consequently, these infections developed in mosquito salivary glands as well and reproduce in the liver (Malaria). Above all, this incubation period could last for months to a year at a time (Malaria). When the parasites leave the liver they reenter the bloodstream where they are able to infect red blood cells to reproduce once again until the cell bursts (Malaria). As a result, it caused anemia and jaundice from the lack of blood cells (Malaria). Other symptoms include seizures, confusion, coma and death (Malaria).

It is caused by a parasite that infects certain mosquitos that feed on humans. People infected with malaria usually suffer from high fevers, shaking chills, achy muscles, headaches, tiredness, and flu-like illness. It may also cause jaundice and anemia. The malaria parasite is found in the red blood cells of a person which means it can be transmitted through blood transfusions, organ transplants, or the shared use of needles syringes contaminated with blood. Malaria is not contagious; it cannot be transmitted from one person to another. Some parasites can remain dormant in the infected person’s body for up to four years after they are bitten. When the parasite comes out of hibernation and begins to invade the red blood cells, the person will become sick.

Mosquitoes pass malaria to humans through their salivary glands. Once the parasites have entered the blood stream, they go to the liver. In the liver they mature and undergo reproduction, forming merozoites. These merozoites enter the blood stream and inject themselves into red blood cells. Once inside the blood cells, they reproduce rapidly and within forty-eight to seventy-two hours, the blood cell bursts, releasing hemoglobin into the blood stream. It is the destruction of these blood cells and the hemoglobin released into the blood stream that actually causes most of the symptoms.

Plasmodium a single-cell parasitic protozoa is transmitted to humans via the bite of an infected female Anopheles species mosquitoes. This can lead to potentially fatal parasites, rapidly multiplying in the liver attacking red blood cells resulting in symptoms arising from cycles of fevers, chills, severe headaches, vomiting, jaundice and diarrhoea. One major disastrous symptom includes sweats accompanied by anaemia, cause damages to vital organs and interruption of blood supply to the brain, which could result in incurable illness leading to fatal death. In very severe cases it can cause seizures, comas or even death. Symptoms usually present between ten to fifteen days after the initial infection. Unlike other diseases, Malaria can represent in people months or even years later. Death rate is approximately 1%-5% due to the spread of Malaria in Afghanistan, affecting each and everyone.

There are five types of mosquitos that can carry the disease; P. falciparum, P. Vivax, P. Ovale, P. Knowlesi, and P. Malariae (Marshall & Taylor, 2009). The two diseases that have the most focus are the P. vivax which is most widely contracted, and the P. Falciparum which is the most fatal (Center for Disease Control, 2017). The life cycle of the disease starts with the bite of a mosquito called the anopheles, which transmits the disease. While there are hundreds of different types of mosquitoes anopheles is the only one that carries the parasitic protozoa. The bite of a mosquito injects sporozoites into the blood stream where it travels quickly to the liver since they have a short life span (Frevert, 2004). Once at the liver it infects the liver cells and replicates itself to mature into schizonts which ruptures into merozoites. After replication the merozoites burst from the liver cells into the blood stream and begin to invade the erythrocytes (red blood cells), once in the erythrocytes they again replicate completely filling the cell until the parasite ruptures the erythrocytes and releases toxins and merozoites into the bloodstream. The parasites are then separated into gametocytes (male/female), where they are released by the blood stream as plasmodium which can be acquired from another anopheles mosquito by biting the human host to start the cycle

The incubation period between the bite of the mosquito is fourteen days. Falciparum malaria has an incubation period of around eighteen days and the malaria infection has a 6 week incubation period. Symptoms of malaria can begin as early as sixteen to eighteen days after a bite by an infected mosquito. They include: High fever (up to 105 degrees Fahrenheit) with shaking chills, profuse sweating when the fever suddenly drops fatigue, headache, muscle aches, abdominal discomfort, nausea, vomiting, feeling faint when you stand up or sit up quickly. If treatment is delayed, more severe complications of malaria can occur such as brain tissue injury, which can cause extreme sleepiness, delirium, unconsciousness, convulsions and coma, pulmonary edema, which is a dangerous accumulation of fluid inside the lungs that interferes with breathing, kidney failure, and severe anemia, resulting from the destruction of infected red blood cells and decrease in the production of new red blood cells (WHO,

Malaria is a disease caused by a protozoan parasite that invades the red blood cells through the bite of infected mosquitoes. The parasite is transmitted by mosquitoes in many subtropical and tropical regions that kills an estimated 660,000 people each year. What does malaria look like on the skin? Initially, it may appear as any other mosquito bite, but if it becomes an itchy rash resembling hives, or severely itchy skin lesions marked by the appearance of smooth, slightly elevated papules, it may be an early marker of malaria.

The Plasmodium Protozoa also known as malaria, is one of the most common infectious diseases on the planet. It is spread by infected mosquito bites. The symptoms are fever, joint pain, anemia, and fatigue. Malaria is a very infectious and serious disease, killing several million people each year.

There is an incubation period of 2 to 21 days (WHO, 2016) and humans remain non-infectious until they develop symptoms. The symptoms are similar to other diseases like malaria, typhoid fever, and meningitis (WHO, 2016) and they are: fever, fatigue, muscle pain, headache and sore throat, followed by vomiting, diarrhea, rash (WHO, 2016). Other symptoms as stated by WHO (2016) are impaired kidney and liver function, and in some cases, both internal and external bleeding (e.g. oozing from the gums, blood in the stools). CDC (2016) reported that people are infected through direct contact with infected humans; through broken skin or mucous membranes in the eyes, nose or mouth, through blood or body fluids; urine, saliva, sweat, feces, vomit, breast milk, and semen or through inanimate objects contaminated by these fluids (CDC, 2016). WHO (2016) reported that laboratory findings include low white blood cell and platelet counts and elevated liver

Malaria. Our 130 million year old enemy. Malaria has been around since the dawn of time and just like the evolution of humans, the disease evolved over time (Malaria.com, 2011). Malaria is a life-threatening disease caused by a specific parasite called Plasmodium, and it is transmitted to people through the bites of an infected female Anopheles mosquito. Plasmodium is a unique parasite because of its structure-it is a single celled organism that multiples in our red blood cells (Canada.com, 2016). The Plasmodium parasite has 4 species which are known to cause the disease in humans, these being: P. Vivax, P. Falciparum, P. Ovale, and P. Malariae. Specifically, P. Vivax, and P. Falciparum are the 2 most common types of parasites to cause the

Malaria affects more children under 5 years. It cannot affect them the first 2 months because of the immunity that she gives to her baby during pregnancy. At the beginning symptoms of malaria appears on the child with high fever leads to chilling in the body and other symptoms like rapid breathing, stomach pain, loss of appetite, and sleeplessness. Symptoms of malaria starts appear from the first 10 days to four weeks. Most probably this disease leading to death for children, because it is difficult to treat this dangerous

These symptoms include; fever, fatigue, vomiting, headaches. In some severe cases malaria has been known to cause yellowing of skin, learning disabilities, seizures, coma, and even death.

Malaria is spread to people by the female Anopheles mosquito. Only Anopheles mosquitoes can transmit malaria. These mosquitos must have been infected through previous blood taken from an infected person. When a mosquito bites an infected person, a small amount of blood is taken and contains microscopic malaria parasites. (CDC, 2015) When the mosquito takes its next blood meal from another person a week later, the parasites will be injected. The malaria parasite is found in red blood cells of an infected person. It can be transmitted through an organ transplant, blood transfusion, or shared use of needles or syringes contaminated with blood. Malaria can also be transmitted from a mother to her unborn infant before or during delivery. This is known as congenital malaria. Malaria is not contagious in any way. It cannot be spread from person to person like a cold, and cannot be sexually transmitted. (CDC, 2015)

The life cycle of the malarial practice consists of a motile non sexually reproductive form termed a sporozoite making its way into the hosts blood stream via being bitten by a mosquito seeking a blood meal. From here it travels into the liver cells where it reproduces asexually to produce merozoites which infect red blood cells and metabolise haemoglobin. At this stage the parasites reproduces asexually to produce more merozoites which infect more red blood cells. At this stage some of the merozites develop into gametocytes which are immature gametes. When a mosquito bites the infected individual the gametocytes are taken up with the blood meal. In the mosquitos gut the gametocytes develop into mature gametes where they form a zygote -which is motile- that migrates to the salivary glands of the