Abstract
Malaria is a severe disease caused by parasites of the genus Plasmodium, which is transmitted to humans by a bite of an infected female mosquito of the species Anopheles. Malaria remains the leading cause of mortality around the world, and early diagnosis and fast-acting treatment prevent unwanted outcomes. It is the most common disease in Africa and some countries of Asia, while in the developed world malaria occurs as imported from endemic areas. The sweet sagewort plant was used as early as the second century BC to treat malaria fever in China. Much later, quinine started being used as an antimalaria drug. A global battle against malaria started in 1955, and Croatia declared 1964 to be the year of eradication of malaria. The World Health Organization carries out a malaria control program on a global scale, focusing on local strengthening of primary health care, early diagnosis of the disease, timely treatment, and disease prevention. Globally, the burden of malaria is lower than ten years ago. However, in the last few years, there has been an increase in the number of malaria cases around the world. It is moving towards targets established by the WHO, but that progress has slowed down.
Highlights
Malaria affected an estimated 219 million people causing 435,000 deaths in 2017 globally
Due to the global resistance of P. falciparum to chloroquine, artemisinin-based combination therapies (ACT) are recommended for the treatment of malaria, except in the first trimester of pregnancy
The campaign to eradicate malaria began in the 1950s but failed globally due to problems involving the resistance of mosquitoes to the insecticides used, the resistance of malaria parasites to medication used in the treatment, and administrative issues
Summary
Malaria affected an estimated 219 million people causing 435,000 deaths in 2017 globally. Some of the Plasmodium species cause disease in human [2,5]. Of the 172 of Plasmodium species, five species can infect humans These are P. malariae, P. falciparum, P. vivax, P. ovale, and P. knowlesi. The Plasmodium life cycle is very complex and takes place in two phases; sexual and asexual, the vector mosquitoes and the vertebrate hosts. The asexual phase of the life cycle occurs in humans, the intermediate host for malaria [9,10]. The parasite, in the form of sporozoite, after a bite by an infected female mosquito, enters the human blood and after half an hour of blood circulation, enters the hepatocytes [11]. The most common species in the Americas and Europe are P. vivax and P. malariae, while in Africa it is P. falciparum [14]
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
