Latest news with #Plasmodium
India Today
26-05-2025
- Health
- India Today
Prevent mosquito bites, prevent malaria: Government lists simple measures
As seasonal changes and monsoons set in, health authorities are urging citizens to stay vigilant against malaria, a mosquito-borne disease that continues to pose a serious health threat in many parts of India. According to the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, the best weapon in the fight against malaria is prevention, which starts with simple, everyday has made considerable strides in reducing malaria cases in recent years, but the disease remains endemic in several regions. As per the Ministry's advisory, staying malaria-free is not just about treatment, but about avoiding exposure in the first MOSQUITO NETS WHILE SLEEPINGNighttime is prime time for mosquito bites. Using mosquito nets while sleeping is one of the most effective and affordable methods to reduce contact with mosquitoes that may be carrying the Plasmodium parasite, which causes malaria. Experts recommend insecticide-treated nets (ITNs) for enhanced protection. These nets not only form a barrier but also kill mosquitoes that come in contact with the treated FULL-SLEEVE CLOTHESCovering up reduces exposed skin and thus, the risk of mosquito bites. Wearing long-sleeved shirts and trousers, especially during early mornings and evenings — peak mosquito activity hours — is a simple yet powerful way to avoid in particular, should be dressed in protective clothing when playing outdoors or attending school during mosquito-prone STAGNANT WATER IN YOUR SURROUNDINGSMosquitoes breed in stagnant water, and even a small puddle of water collected in containers, flowerpots, or discarded tyres can be a breeding ground. Regularly inspecting and clearing stagnant water from around your home is crucial to breaking the mosquito life are encouraged to cover water storage containers, keep drains unclogged, and ensure that rainwater does not accumulate in plant trays, rooftops, or empty INSECTICIDE AROUND YOUR HOUSEUsing household insecticide sprays in corners, under furniture, and near windows or doors is an additional layer of defence. The government also recommends community-wide spraying initiatives, especially during malaria season, to curb the mosquito alternatives like camphor, neem oil, and citronella may also help repel mosquitoes indoors, but should be used with proper children, pregnant women, and the elderly are at higher risk of severe malaria. For these groups, extra precautions like using nets and ensuring indoor mosquito protection are especially symptoms can include fever, chills, sweating, body aches, and, in severe cases, organ failure. Early detection and treatment can prevent complications, but prevention is the safer and smarter path. JOINING THE NATIONAL MALARIA ERADICATION MISSIONIndia is committed to achieving zero indigenous malaria cases by 2030, as per WHO's Global Technical Strategy. The Health Ministry urges all citizens to take personal and community responsibility in maintaining mosquito-free environments and promoting awareness in schools, workplaces, and message is clear: 'The fight against malaria begins with you.'By following these basic steps and staying informed, you can protect yourself and your loved ones from malaria this season. Simple actions like wearing full sleeves or emptying flowerpots can collectively save thousands of lives.
India Today
21-05-2025
- Health
- India Today
Myths about Malaria that could be dangerous
Malaria is a disease transmitted by mosquitoes and caused by Plasmodium parasites. It continues to be a significant public health issue in many tropical and subtropical substantial progress in raising awareness and improving treatment, myths and misconceptions about malaria persist. These misunderstandings can lead to delayed diagnoses, inappropriate prevention measures, and preventable complications. As we work towards eliminating malaria, it is essential to distinguish between fact and fiction. All you need to know from the expert Dr. Rajib Paul, Senior Consultant in Internal Medicine at Apollo Hospitals, Jubilee Hills, 1: MALARIA SPREADS FROM PERSON TO PERSON Truth: Malaria is not contagious. You cannot catch malaria by touching, kissing, or sharing food with someone who is infected. It is transmitted exclusively through the bite of an infected Anopheles mosquito. In rare cases, malaria can be transmitted through blood transfusion, organ transplants, or from mother to foetus, but direct person-to-person transmission does not 2: YOU CAN ONLY GET MALARIA IN RURAL OR FORESTED AREASTruth: While rural and forested regions may have higher mosquito density, urban areas are not immune. Poor drainage, stagnant water, and unplanned urban development provide ideal breeding grounds for mosquitoes even in cities. With a changing climate and increased travel, malaria transmission is becoming more unpredictable, crossing urban-rural 3: MALARIA IS NOT A SERIOUS DISEASE AND CAN BE TREATED AT HOMEadvertisementTruth: Malaria is potentially life-threatening if not diagnosed and treated promptly. Certain types of malaria, especially Plasmodium falciparum, can cause severe complications such as cerebral malaria, kidney failure, or even death. Self-medication without proper diagnosis can be dangerous, and relying on herbal remedies or over-the-counter drugs may delay effective 4: ONCE YOU GET MALARIA, YOU'RE IMMUNE FOR LIFETruth: Immunity to malaria is not lifelong. Any immunity acquired through previous exposure can wane over time, especially in people who leave endemic areas. Even those who have had malaria multiple times can get reinfected. No one is completely immune, and preventive measures should never be 5: MOSQUITOES BITE ONLY AT NIGHT, SO YOU'RE SAFE DURING THE DAYTruth: The Anopheles mosquito that transmits malaria typically bites between dusk and dawn, but activity can vary. Relying solely on the time of day to determine risk is risky. Protecting yourself during the evening and at night with bed nets, repellents, and covered clothing remains 6: ANTIMALARIAL DRUGS ARE DANGEROUS AND UNNECESSARYTruth: Modern antimalarial medications are safe when prescribed by healthcare professionals. Side effects are generally mild and manageable. In malaria-prone areas or while travelling, prophylactic drugs can significantly reduce the risk of infection. Avoiding them out of fear or misinformation could result in preventable 7: ONLY CHILDREN AND THE ELDERLY ARE AT RISKTruth: While children under five, pregnant women, and the elderly are more vulnerable to severe forms of malaria, anyone can contract the disease regardless of age. Travellers from non-endemic regions are especially at risk due to a lack of THE FOG: WHAT WORKSTo effectively protect against malaria, it's important to follow evidence-based prevention strategies:Use insecticide-treated bed nets, especially while sleeping. Apply mosquito repellent on exposed skin. Eliminate standing water where mosquitoes breed. Take prescribed antimalarial medication when travelling to high-risk areas. Seek medical help promptly at the first sign of fever, chills, or flu-like campaigns and public health interventions have significantly reduced malaria cases in recent years. However, busting persistent myths is equally important to sustaining this progress and empowering individuals with correct conclusion, combating malaria is not just about medication — it's about mindset. Dispelling myths, embracing science, and promoting accurate information will be vital in our fight to make malaria history.
Scroll.in
17-05-2025
- Health
- Scroll.in
Forests are mosquito hotspots but deforestation can increase malaria mortality
In 1990, India reported approximately 33 million cases of malaria. By 2019, that number plummeted to 5.5 million due to a host of government interventions designed to reduce malaria incidence. Deaths from malaria saw a similar decline. New research finds that forests may have played a marginal role in avoiding additional malaria deaths, even though forests are generally considered malaria hotspots. Forests – with their dense canopies and humid weather – are hotspots for malaria breeding and transmission in India. Malaria is transmitted when a female Anopheles mosquito carrying the Plasmodium parasite, bites a human host during feeding. Forested districts contributed to 32% of malaria cases and 42% of malaria mortality between 2000 and 2019, while harbouring just 6.6% of the country's population, government data shows. 'Mosquitos like the shade and humidity provided by forests. Forests provide ideal conditions for the entire duration of the mosquito's 12-day life cycle. Forest cover also makes it harder to spot breeding habitats, which makes it difficult to clear them,' said Ramesh Chand Dhiman, former director of the ICMR – National Institute of Malaria Research. But forest loss may also aggravate malaria transmission and mortality. The extent to which deforestation impacts malaria incidence and mortality in India is still being understood. Researchers from Ohio State University examined the impacts of deforestation on malaria mortality in 628 districts in rural areas, and found that on average, the loss of one square kilometre of forest resulted in 0.16 additional deaths due to Plasmodium falciparum per 100,000 people. P falciparum causes the most number of malaria deaths in India. Vexed relationship Deforestation has been linked to a rise in malaria transmission in the Amazon in South America. A study analysing trends in deforestation and malaria in the Brazilian Amazon across 13 years found that on average, across 795 municipalities, a 10% increase in deforestation led to a 3.3% increase in malaria incidence. 'The effect is larger in the interior and absent in outer Amazonian states where little forest remains,' a 2019 study, by Stanford researchers, says. In this study too, the main driver is P falciparum. The researchers hypothesise malaria incidence worsens in the interiors of the forest (where forest cover is high, compared to the outer states where forest cover is low) because after deforestation gives way to settlements and agriculture, 'malaria exposure leads to temporary immunity (in these parts), and housing quality and healthcare access improve.' The study goes on to state that these effects are strongest in the interior in the early stages of deforestation. 'As forest edge habitat increases, promoting mosquito vector breeding habitat, survival, and human biting rate, but the effects attenuate as forest loss progresses, forest edge area declines, and human settlements become larger and further removed from forest,' the study says. But because the mechanisms of malaria transmission are so complex and region-specific, the same trends are not seen everywhere. An analysis of malaria transmission in 17 Sub-Saharan African countries across 14 years found that forest cover and deforestation had no role to play in malaria incidence in more than 60,000 children studied. 'We speculate that our findings may differ from those of previous studies because deforestation in Sub-Saharan Africa is largely driven by the steady expansion of smallholder agriculture for domestic use by long-time residents in stable socio-economic settings, where malaria is already endemic and previous exposure is high,' the researchers say, adding, 'In much of Latin America and Asia, deforestation is driven by rapid clearing for market-driven agricultural exports by new frontier migrants without previous exposure.' In India, the picture is still emerging. In Assam's Sonitpur, a longitudinal study found that deforestation did, in fact, lead to an increase in malaria incidence, while other studies have found deforestation changed the composition of malaria-carrying mosquito species in parts of the state. Researchers from Ohio State University have tried to capture this relationship at scale, looking at impacts of deforestation on malaria mortality in rural parts of the country. The study went a step further by trying to assign an economic value to the services forests give in preventing additional malaria deaths. In order to isolate the role of forests in malaria transmission, the researchers limited their analysis to three years – from 2013 to 2015 – in 628 districts. According to Daniela Miteva, lead author of the Ohio study, this is a short enough window to rule out behaviour changes that could influence malaria transmission, and is before the government introduced schemes distributing medicated nets 2016 onwards. 'We calculated the area of forest lost in a district, and then the changes in malaria within the cluster, which we defined as a 5 kilometre buffer area around a rural village. We then used methods that allow us to quantify what the causal impact is of the reducing forest within a district on malaria mortality in a cluster,' she said. The analysis only included mortality from P falciparum from the Malaria Atlas and World Health Organisation, since no data on mortality from P vivax was available. On average, a loss of one square kilometre of forest resulted in 0.16 additional deaths per 100,000 people. In economic terms, the ecosystem services provided by the forest in preventing these additional deaths was calculated to be between $1.26 and $85.9 per hectare, per year. But this impact is short term, and subject to change over the long term. 'The conversion of forests to urban areas may alter exposures and habitats for malaria; for this reason, the longer term impact of forest loss on morbidity and mortality is unclear,' the study says. Land use effect The exact mechanisms of how malaria is transmitted are determined by a number of factors, including exposure, vulnera bility to the disease, immunity, land use change, and prevailing climatic factors. India has fifty-eight species of anopheline mosquitoes, of which six are major carriers of malaria. Increasing humidity, rainfall and rising temperatures due to climate change are projected to intensify and lengthen the transmission period for malaria. The role of deforestation is less certain. Small forest clearings could make malaria transmission worse by opening up new channels of exposure to humans, but a complete clearing of forest and removal of mosquito habitats could result in less or no malaria transmission. 'This is what researchers call a U-shaped relationship, where forest clearing can lead to an increase in exposure, but only to an extent,' said Miteva. Dhiman is not convinced that forest cover can prevent additional malaria deaths, precisely because in his practice, high malaria endemicity and mortality are seen in areas with more forest cover. However, Dhiman did note that deforestation can change the species composition of malaria carrying mosquitos, which carries its own implications. In a paper published in 2020, Dhiman found that deforestation in the Bokajan region of Assam replaced the prevailing Anopheles minimus species with the Anopheles culicifacies species. The forested northeast region is normally suited to the Anopheles minimus, but the clearing of forest resulted in 'availability of open area exposed to sunlight, which is suitable for breeding of An. culicifacies v ector,' which is more resistant to insecticides like DDT, the paper said. 'Land use change can definitely impact malaria incidence. In this case, we found that reduction of forest cover made it suitable for another mosquito to inhabit in the plains. In other cases, land use change that introduces mosquito habitats, like irrigation canals, can lead to more malaria incidence,' Dhiman said.
The Citizen
27-04-2025
- Health
- The Citizen
Be aware of malaria
With World Malaria Day on April 25, raising awareness about malaria is crucial. According to Affinity Health, this life-threatening disease continues to be a major public health concern, especially in high-risk areas. 'According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), millions of people worldwide are affected yearly, with Africa experiencing the highest number of cases. While malaria is both preventable and treatable, delaying diagnosis and treatment can lead to severe complications such as organ failure and even death,' says Murray Hewlett, CEO of Affinity Health. 'The Plasmodium parasite causes malaria and spreads through bites from infected female Anopheles mosquitoes.' Recognising malaria symptoms early and getting medical help right away can save lives. Symptoms typically appear 10–15 days after a mosquito bite, though sometimes they take longer. Since malaria can feel like the flu, it's easy to overlook the warning signs. Look for these key symptoms: 1. High fever and chills A sudden onset of fever (often exceeding 38°C) accompanied by intense chills is one of the most common signs of malaria. 2. Excessive sweating After fever and chills, malaria can cause intense sweating as the body tries to lower its temperature. 3. Headaches and body aches Malaria often causes intense headaches and aching muscles, especially in the joints and throughout the body. 4. Nausea, vomiting, and diarrhoea Gastrointestinal symptoms can accompany malaria, making it easy to mistake for other common infections. 5. Rapid breathing and increased heart rate As malaria progresses, it can lead to respiratory distress and cardiovascular strain. 6. Extreme tiredness and weakness Malaria drains the body's energy, causing severe fatigue, drowsiness, and overall weakness. 7. Yellow skin and anaemia In severe cases, malaria can break down red blood cells, leading to jaundice (yellowing of the skin and eyes) and anaemia, which causes weakness and dizziness. When to seek medical help If you or a loved one experiences any of the symptoms listed above, especially after a recent travel to a malaria-prone area, seek medical attention immediately. Early diagnosis and treatment are key to preventing complications. People are urged not to ignore fever and flu-like symptoms, especially during peak malaria seasons. Diagnostic tests, such as rapid malaria and blood smears, can detect malaria parasites early, allowing prompt treatment. Who is most at risk? While malaria can affect anyone, certain groups are at a higher risk of severe illness, including: Young children: Their immune systems are underdeveloped to fight the parasite. Pregnant women: Malaria increases the risk of complications for both mother and baby. Travellers from non-endemic areas: Those without prior exposure lack natural immunity. Weakened immune systems: This includes people with chronic illnesses such as HIV/AIDS, who are more vulnerable to malaria. Prevention is better than cure The best way to lower the risk of malaria is to prevent mosquito bites and stop them from breeding. Here are some key prevention tips: Use mosquito nets: Sleeping under insecticide-treated bed nets provides a strong layer of protection. Apply insect repellents: Use mosquito repellents containing DEET, picaridin, or lemon eucalyptus oil. Dress for protection: Wear long sleeves, pants, and socks, especially at night, to keep mosquitoes from biting exposed skin. Get rid of still water: Mosquitoes lay eggs in stagnant water, so regularly check your home and empty any standing water to prevent them from breeding. Take preventive medication: If travelling to high-risk areas, consult a healthcare provider for malaria prophylaxis. Conclusion Affinity Health urges South Africans to prioritise awareness, prevention, and early detection. Malaria is a serious but preventable disease, and taking the proper steps can make all the difference. At Caxton, we employ humans to generate daily fresh news, not AI intervention. Happy reading!
News18
26-04-2025
- Health
- News18
World Malaria Day: What's the Role of Humid Weather in the Fight Against Malaria?
Humidity is a silent enabler of malaria. It fuels the mosquito's life cycle and accelerates parasite development, making it a key environmental factor in disease transmission Malaria is a disease that continues to claim hundreds of thousands of lives every year, especially in tropical and subtropical regions. While we often focus on the biological causes—such as Plasmodium parasites and Anopheles mosquitoes—weather conditions, particularly humidity, play a critical role in the transmission and control of malaria. Understanding how humid weather affects malaria spread can help shape more effective prevention and intervention strategies. Dr Sharadchandra Yadav, Consultant, ICU Care Ruby Hall Clinic Pune shares all you need to know: The Mosquito-Humidity Connection Humidity refers to the amount of moisture in the air, and it plays a vital role in the life cycle of mosquitoes—the primary vectors of malaria. Female Anopheles mosquitoes need water to lay their eggs, and high humidity supports the availability of stagnant water sources where mosquitoes breed, such as ponds, puddles, and waterlogged fields. Moreover, mosquitoes thrive in humid conditions. Their survival and ability to bite are significantly reduced in dry environments. In contrast, in regions with high humidity, mosquitoes live longer, which gives them more time to become infected with the malaria parasite and transmit it to humans. Longer mosquito lifespans directly correlate with higher malaria transmission rates. Ideal Conditions for Parasite Development Humidity doesn't just benefit the mosquito—it also aids the malaria parasite. After a mosquito bites an infected person, the Plasmodium parasite must undergo a development cycle inside the mosquito before it can infect another human. This process, known as the extrinsic incubation period, is faster and more efficient in warm and humid conditions. When combined with high temperatures, humid weather creates an ideal environment for the parasite to mature quickly. This means the mosquito becomes infectious sooner, increasing the chances of transmission within its lifetime. Humid Seasons and Malaria Surges In many parts of the world, malaria cases spike during the rainy season, which brings about high humidity. Countries in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia, for example, experience a surge in malaria during the monsoon or post-monsoon months. This seasonal pattern is closely tied to humidity levels, which facilitate mosquito breeding and survival. During dry seasons, the number of breeding sites decreases, and mosquito populations drop, leading to a decline in malaria cases. However, this seasonal relief is temporary, as humid weather returns and reinvigorates transmission. Implications for Malaria Control Understanding the role of humidity in malaria transmission has direct implications for prevention strategies. Health systems can use weather data to predict potential outbreaks and prepare accordingly. For instance: Timed distribution of insecticide-treated bed nets and repellents before the rainy season can help reduce transmission. Environmental management, such as draining stagnant water, becomes even more critical in humid periods. Indoor residual spraying (IRS) campaigns are more effective when timed to precede peak mosquito breeding. Humidity is a silent enabler of malaria. It fuels the mosquito's life cycle and accelerates parasite development, making it a key environmental factor in disease transmission. By paying close attention to weather patterns—especially humidity—public health authorities can better plan and implement interventions. Ultimately, the fight against malaria is not just about medicine and mosquitoes, but also about understanding and responding to the environment they thrive in.
