ARE SOME PEOPLE IMMUNE TO MALARIA?

Most people in Papua New Guinea seem not to be overly worried about malaria. Most will say that they have not taken malaria medication in many years but not suffered from malaria. Why is this so?

It may be that their resistance to malaria is the result of not taking the medication. The parasite is given time to live in the body and perhaps in hiding places and allow the body to build up antibodies.

All common malaria parasites pass from the mosquito to the blood stream and then enter the liver to stay for several days before breaking out to replicate in the red blood cells.

It may be that antibodies are produced in the liver, blood and lymph systems to give some control over the parasite. The medication from yesteryear was not able to penetrate the liver and so, there were always parasites waiting in the liver.

Chloroquine could not enter the liver. The only old time drug was Fansider. It is not certain if the Chinese drugs Artimeter or Artemisin can penetrate the liver and destroy the parasite.

The expatiate population is quite paranoid about malaria fever. Perhaps they remember their fathers and grandfathers coming home from the war and suffering for many years.

The problem is that tourists never have time to become immune. So too the villagers in the highlands being attacked by mosquitoes rising in altitude the result of global warming. Villagers who survive may become immune after 10 years of not taking anti-malarial medicine.

Expatriates are advised not to give anti-malarial drugs to their employees including domestic servants. They may be doing more harm than good. By all means, give the drug on the onset of fever. Malaria fever gives a characteristic body heat.

As a first aid officer in PNG schools, I could diagnose malaria in a student in about 2 seconds. Hold the arm and feel the deep heat - not too hot just deeply warm.

The long term expatriates in country take malaria medication on a weekly basis to destroy the parasite as it emerges from the liver. There is no opportunity for the body to build resistance. Please click:

AM I IMMUNE TO MALARIA?

We may not be immune to all malaria infection. Cerebral malaria from Plasmodium falciparum seems to be in a class of its own.

Footnote. Do you realize that the word malaria means bad air. In the 19th century, it was believed that sickness came from the vapours.

The word malaria probably came from the days of building the Panama canal. It was believed that workers were sick from breathing swamp air. - Mal (bad) Aria (air).

In earlier times before the discovery of germs and parasites, people were believed to be infected by the vapours, So the standard approach for sick people was to close all windows to stop bad air from coming in. Today we open windows to let the fresh air in.

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