Malaria: spread, symptoms and how we help

Malaria is an infectious disease that is mainly spread in the tropics and subtropics. It is caused by single-celled parasites, also known as plasmodia, which first multiply in the liver and then pass into the red blood cells, causing them to burst. In this way, more plasmodia enter the bloodstream, which the body tries to fight with fever.

Malaria can be divided into different types based on different pathogens. Malaria tropica as well as malaria tertiana and quartana are the most widespread type of the infectious disease. Malaria tropica is considered the most dangerous type of malaria. Infected red blood cells clog blood vessels and thus cause circulatory disorders. These circulatory disturbances then lead to an undersupply of nutrients to organs, which in turn can lead to coma or, in about 10% of cases, even death. Malaria tertiana and quartana, on the other hand, are rarely fatal.

Malaria is endemic in several countries in Africa and Asia. This means that the tropical disease occurs in waves and can break out at any time, making it a constant threat to the population. Along with Ebola and other serious infectious diseases, malaria is one of the remaining epidemics of the modern era.

At the beginning, malaria often resembles a flu-like infection. Fever attacks, a general feeling of illness, headache and body aches, but also diarrhoea, vomiting and dizziness up to cramps and fainting are common symptoms. In malaria tertiana and quartana, periodic fever attacks are typical - in malaria tertiana every second day, in malaria quartana every third day. The body temperature rises to 40 degrees and is often accompanied by chills. The fever subsides again after three to four hours.

Especially in the case of malaria tropica, the symptoms are more severe and represent an enormous health risk for those affected. The destruction of red blood cells can lead to anaemia and organ damage as well as to an enlarged liver and speen.

In rare cases, the pathogens enter the central nervous system and can trigger seizures, impaired consciousness and coma. In a fatal course of the disease, organ failure of kidney, brain or lung is often the cause of death.

In economically weak countries, those affected are often already weakened by hunger and malnutrition, which is why malaria can cause much more devastating damage to the body.

Malteser International has been active in malaria risk areas for many years. We have been fighting malaria and tuberculosis in Myanmar since 2003 for example. The aim of our aid projects is to educate people and to treat those who are ill. In addition, we train health trainers who pass on their knowledge to the population and contribute to a collective understanding of the disease, routes of infection and prevention measures. Safely managed water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) services are essential to improve hygienic conditions and thus prevent infectious disease outbreaks.

There is particular emphasis on appropriate diagnostic possibilities so that infectious diseases can be recognised more quickly and subsequently treated. To draw attention to the need for aid measures in the fight against malaria, the WHO has established World Malaria Day on 25 April and publishes the World Malaria Report every year.

With your donation, you can support our fight against malaria. We inform the population about malaria, teach them how to avoid infection and provide mosquito nets. Your donations also help us to ensure that people at risk of malaria have access to health care, and that if they do fall ill, they receive timely diagnosis and treatment at the health facilities we support. With these simple tools, they can effectively protect themselves against malaria.