Vaccination?
As of today (14/5/13) there is no vaccination that has been put into a clinical practice for any strain of malaria. However, this may not be the case for long. News of a possible vaccination that can cure all variants of malaria has been discussed and tested. It has not been confirmed and still needs to be verified, although, the disguise mechanism proves to be a difficult factor to overcome if they do consider a vaccination to be used in clinics.
Prevention?
There are different precautions to take while trying to avoid contracting malaria.
For highly mosquito populated places ensure that you:
For highly mosquito populated places ensure that you:
- Apply insect repellent. Especially at nighttime.
- Use mosquito nets to prevent mosquitoes from coming inside a certain area (mainly used in Africa)
- Wear long sleeved clothing.
- Ask your doctor for antimalarial drugs if you know that you are travelling to a mosquito prevalent place.
- Use insecticides around an area you will be spending a lot of time in.
- After visiting areas where malaria is a risk, see a doctor to ensure you have not contracted the disease.
Treatment?
If you become diagnosed with P. vivax, P. malarie or P. Olave and you catch the infection early enough then uncomplicated malaria can be treated with multiple drug schedules;
Severe Malaria;
A victim of malaria does not have to be subjected to isolation as the parasite only travels through the blood.
-Quoted from http://www.rph.wa.gov.au/malaria/treatment.html
- "Quinine sulphate 10 mg salt/kg 8 hourly for seven days plus doxycycline 100 mg daily for 7 days."
- "MalaroneTM (atovaquone 250 mg plus proguanil 100 mg) 4 tablets daily for three consecutive days."
- "Mefloquine (LariumTM) given as 15 mg/kg in a divided dose followed by 10 mg/kg the following day."
Severe Malaria;
- "Quinine dihydrochloride 20 mg salt/kg base given i.v. in 5% w/v dextrose or normal saline as a once-only 4 hour infusion followed, 4 hours later, by quinine dihydrochloride 10 mg salt/kg base 4-hour infusions, 8 hourly."
- "Where a syringe pump or other accurate infusion device is available, quinine dihydrochloride 7 mg salt/kg base over 30 minutes followed immediately by quinine dihydrochloride 10 mg salt/kg base over 4 hours then, starting 4 hours later, quinine dihydrochloride 10 mg salt/kg base as 4 hour infusions, 8 hourly."
A victim of malaria does not have to be subjected to isolation as the parasite only travels through the blood.
-Quoted from http://www.rph.wa.gov.au/malaria/treatment.html