BACKGROUND: Malaria is a serious and potentially fatal disease caused by a parasite that commonly infects a specific type of mosquito that feeds on humans. Common symptoms of malaria include high fever, shaking, chills, and flu-like illness. About 1,500 cases of malaria are diagnosed in the United States each year. The majority of these cases are in travelers and immigrants returning from countries where malaria transmission occurs. This was the case for Dawn Dubsky who, while traveling in Africa, was bitten by a mosquito. Upon returning home to the United States, she went to the emergency room, ravaged by the malaria parasite. Dawn woke up a month later as a quadruple amputee.
(SOURCE: CDC)
PREVALENCE OF MALARIA: About 20,000 travelers are infected with malaria each year. It kills nearly 3,000 people each day and up to 1 million people every year. The parasite penetrates red blood cells where it produces proteins that clog blood vessels. Following the parasitic bite, a period of time passes before the first symptoms start to show. This period can last from seven to 30 days. These long delays between exposure and development of symptoms can result in misdiagnosis or delayed diagnosis because of reduced clinical suspicion by the health care provider.
(SOURCE: CDC)
CURRENT TREATMENTS: Anti-malarial drugs can be prescribed to people traveling to areas where malaria is prevalent. It is important for travelers to see their health care providers well in advance of departure because treatment may begin as long as two weeks before entering the area and continue for a month after leaving the area. The types of anti-malarial medications prescribed will depend on the drug-resistance patterns in the areas to be visited.
(SOURCE: New York Times)
NEW TREATMENT IN THE WORKS: A new intravenous drug treatment is in the works to treat malaria. Researchers from the Karolinska Institute in Sweden are currently studying the therapy. Scientists have been able to treat severe malaria in rats and primates with this new malaria drug, and they hope to replicate the results in humans. MORE ► Malaria Takes Limbs: Life Changing Bite -- Research Summary | Medical News and Health Information: "- Enviado mediante la barra Google" and ► Malaria Takes Limbs: Life Changing Bite | Medical News and Health Information: "- Enviado mediante la barra Google"
(SOURCE: Karolinska Institute)
FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT:
Karolinska Institute Press Office
Stockholm, Sweden
pressinfo@ki.se
The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation
http://www.gatesfoundation.org
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