A
vital
diagnosis
Malaria can result in death, but it is possible to cure the disease
if it is diagnosed quickly enough. It is thus vital that the symptoms
of the disease be known and that the disease be identified rapidly
so that the patient can be treated. In the last few years, scientific
research has made significant progress in terms of diagnosis.
Immunity
Certain regions of the world, particularly in Africa, are affected by malaria all year round because the parasites
are present permanently. These areas are said to be “endemic”. If exposed for long periods of time and very regularly
to infections, man can develop immunity, in other words, resistance to the parasite. Such people are thus less
often ill and have less risk of dying of malaria. Children are the main victims of the disease because they have not
had time to develop this immunity.
Health clinic in Benin.
Immunity is acquired at the expense of numerous bouts of the disease. This immunity can also disappear if there is no frequent contact between
the person and the parasite, for example during migrations outside of endemic areas. Returning home can thus go hand-in-hand with new bouts of malaria.
Understanding the highly complex mechanisms behind immunity will help researchers develop vaccines for the disease.
Consultation and malaria screening
in a school in Benin.
Malaria, malarias
The symptoms of malaria include a high temperature often with headaches, sweating, shivering, vomiting,
a cough and occasionally diarrhoea in infants. The patient is generally extremely tired. These symptoms are
characteristic of a simple bout of the disease. They should raise the alarm and lead to a consultation with a doctor,
from whom the patient will be able to receive an effective treatment.
Taking blood for a “thick drop”
blood test in Cameroon.
Occasionally, malaria manifests itself in serious forms. Such forms are generally caused by Plasmodium falciparum, one of the malaria parasites,
and one that is particularly common in sub-Saharan Africa. Infection by this species can result in coma, convulsions, respiratory problems or anaemia.
Death can occur in a few days, or even in a few hours, if the patient is not treated quickly. It is thus essential that those in the patient’s immediate vicinity
realise the seriousness of the patient’s condition and take him or her to a treatment centre as quickly as possible where a treatment will be administered
without delay.
Symptoms of malaria.
Diagnosis
There are several methods for diagnosing malaria, all based on taking a single drop blood. The most common
analysis techniques are the “thick drop” and the “thin smear”. They make it possible to detect parasites, identify
their species and estimate their number. This requires material (glass slides, microscope) and good training
for the laboratory technicians.
In the last few years, researchers have developed rapid diagnosis kits. These kits are easy to use, even at the patient’s bedside, and they rapidly
detect the presence of parasites in the blood. These kits are a real revolution in the fight against malaria as they play a part in better management
of patients and significantly reduce the number of deaths from the disease.
Consultation and malaria screening in Thailand.
Preparing a blood sample
to detect the possible presence
of parasites with a microscope.
Rapid malaria diagnosis kits.
The two tests on the left
are negative. The four tests
on the right are positive.