Malaria

• The pattern of malaria varies Plasmodium falciparum causes almost all the malaria in Zimbabwe, with a few cases due to P. vivax, P.ovale and P.malariae may be seen.
• Complications occur mainly with falciparum and usually in young children, pregnant women, adults in epidemic prone areas and people moving from areas of no malaria to areas with malaria including immune compromised patients and sicklers.
• Malaria usually occurs 1-6 weeks after a bite by an infected female anopheles mosquito. So, it is important to take a good history and to always ask about travel and self-medication.

TREATMENT OF MALARIA

All antimalarial medicines should be administered only to confirmed cases (Confirmation is done by RDT or Malaria Blood Slide). However, in children less than five years treatment may be initiated whilst awaiting blood results provided other causes of fever have been clinically excluded. Malaria blood slides MUST be taken in the following cases:

• Patients with severe/complicated malaria,
• Patients with treatment failure,
• All referrals,
• All cases where Co-artemether has been used in the preceding 2 weeks
• All RDT confirmed cases in malaria elimination areas

Note: Pregnant women diagnosed with malaria must receive medicine therapy immediately. Although quinine is potentially teratogenic, the benefit of giving quinine therapy far outweighs any risk.