- What is Malaria?
- What precautions can we take?
- How can we treat it? Any progress in new science and methods?
- Do you plan to enjoy the life in tropical paradises or penetrate dense jungles?
The risk for encounters with cannibals or head-hunters isn't big anymore. But what about snakes, poison spiders, scorpions, sharks, crocodiles, lions, leopards and mad elephants? The risk is much higher here, and you have to be very conscious of it. But the most dangerous animal in the tropical areas is the smallest one and flies in the dawn, it has two wings, lands unnoticed on your skin, and it drills a small hole in your skin.
Further it sticks a thinly little trunk in your small vein and sucks your blood. At the same time it spits in your wound to prevent the blood from becoming stiff, and in this spit there is a small single celled parasite called plasmodium, which starts to live and spread in your liver and blood, and so it destroys your red blood cells. The infection causes terrible fever strokes.
Big public health problem
In accordance with World Health Organization on their web site, Malaria is a public health problem today in more than 90 countries, inhabited by a total of some 2 400 million people, also 40% of the world's population. World-wide spreading of the disease is estimated to be in the order of 300-500 million clinical cases each year. More than 90% of all malaria cases are in sub-Saharan Africa.
Malaria is considered to be a curable disease if quickly diagnosed and adequately treated, but mortality due to malaria is estimated to be over 1 million deaths each year, reports World Health Organization. The vast majority of deaths occur among young children in Africa, especially in remote rural areas with poor access to health services.
After years with modest growth, the disease has increased again. The mosquitoes that carry it have become resistant to pesticides, the parasite itself to anti-malarial drugs. Many of the researchers confess that in their bad dreams that they think of the parasite as unbeatable.
Photo: Portrait of a blood-thirsty murder.
Travellers Medical and Vaccination Centre (TMVC), Australia, writes on their web site that, Malaria is responsible for more than four million deaths annually worldwide, and they admit that; there is no commercially available vaccine. There is each year in Australia more than 1,000 travellers from overseas destinations who get Malaria.
More than 50% of cases occurs from Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands and Vanuatu. Other common areas include Indonesia, particularly the eastern Nusa Tengara region, Africa and India. Countries such as Thailand, Malaysia, Vietnam and Cambodia are also risky regarding Malaria, but not in the same degree. The risk of acquiring malaria depends on the number of local people carrying the parasite, and the types of mosquitoes found in the area.
Malaria Precautions
There are three important factors in preventing malaria:
- Don't get bitten.
- As prescribed, take your pills regularly.
- See a doctor immediately if you develop a fever.
If very few individuals are infected with the parasite, or the anopheles species of mosquito is rarely found, then the risk of transmission is usually low. Regardless of whether you need medication for malaria or not, mosquito avoidance is vital as local mosquitoes may carry other health problems such as dengue fever, Ross river virus or even Japanese encephalitis.
What attract the mosquito?
As mentioned in the introduction, Malaria is caused by a small parasite called a plasmodium. It is carried in the bite of a mosquito of the anopheles species. The behaviour pattern of the mosquito has been well documented. The blood meal is usually taken between dusk and dawn, but be aware of that in densely forest where there is much shadow or in dark interiors of houses, biting also occurs during the day too.
Many things attract the mosquitoes to humans or animals. These could be colours, smell, temperature and moisture. Some individuals are more susceptible to than mosquito bites than others. So far no one knows exactly why it's like that. The risk of contracting malaria during travel varies occasionally. In Africa where visits to game parks are taken at dusk or early morning risk to the traveller are high.
In South East Asia the traveller spends most times in resorts or urban areas. Visits to rural areas are often done during the day and the traveller returns to the urban areas at night; the risk of Malaria is low.
New science and methods - hopes for the future?
Can gene technology be used against the Malaria? There are several strategies and approaches to combat Malaria. So far most efforts in the research work has focused on the parasite and its cycles in the human body. In one project a research team has spent the last five years working on a vaccine that will attack the parasite when it's breeding in the liver. Efforts have also been taken to dry out swamp areas, spraying of oil on the water to get rid of the mosquito idles, and spraying of poisons to killed the parasites and mosquitoes. But now researchers have started to focus on what they shall do with the mosquito. Is it here our great hope lies?
Travellers Medical and Vaccination Centre (TMVC) reports on their web site, that complete genome sequencing of malaria parasites, will provide the basis for rational approaches to the design and development of vaccines and chemotherapeutic agents.
Genome modified mosquito will hopefully be immune against the malaria parasite, and prevent spreading of the infection (check out other links too mentioned below about this topic, and research projects). Malaria is the most highly mortal tropical disease except for tuberculosis. It is a terrible disease, and as explained, it is very difficult to protect against it.
We have to hope that all the ongoing initiatives results in better ways to avoid Malaria. Don't play with your life and take unnecessary risks. Take the relevant vaccinations and sign a health insurance before you go. Don't use any soap, shampoo or perfumes at all since it attracts the mosquitoes.
To prevent mosquito bites you need light cotton clothes. Further more it is a good idea to put a cap (broad-brimmed hat) on your head, wear a tick and long pullover, and tuck a long pair of pants into your socks. In addition use lot of insect repellent, both on your skin and spray around in the air when the mosquitoes attack in large swarms.
Hopefully you will have a safer and more successful travel when you experience the world's off beaten tracks.
Stein Morten Lund, 8 August 2000.
Additional information
News, health reports, vaccination requirements in several countries, tips about medical kits and other health advises.
Use the links below to obtain more detailed information, which is necessary for safe and successful travels.
World Health Organization: http://www.who.int/
Malaria Foundation International: http://www.malaria.org/MIM_overview.html
Travellers Medical and Vaccination Centre (TMVC): http://www.tmvc.com.au/index.html
Discover Magazine (and Nature) for scientific researches: http://www.discover.com/recent_issue/index.html Imperial
College of Science, technology and medicine, London: http://www.ic.ac.uk/templates/front_index_3.asp?P=178
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