Dr. Dave Science

I came across this article about the origins of malaria in CNN. I have had malaria twice in my life, so stories about this disease always draw my attention.

It should come as no surprise that the chimpanzee is the origin of malaria in man; after all, chimps are our closest genetic relative in the animal kingdom. Before you go blaming the apes for malaria, keep in mind that the spread of disease is not a one-way street; it is very likely that man has also spread disease to apes.

What is malaria?

Malaria is disease that is caused by a parasite and is spread by mosquitoes. Malaria causes fevers, severe headaches, and chills, and if left untreated, it can lead to brain damage and even death.

A brief history of malaria

Mankind has been plagued by malaria for thousands of years. Long ago, silly theories on the origin of diseases were commonplace. People believed that malaria was caused by something foul in the air, which is where the disease got it’s name. (“Mal” means bad and “aria” means air.)

For many centuries, there was no treatment for malaria until the 1600s when an observant Jesuit priest living in ancient Peru noticed local tribesmen using ground bark from cinchona trees to treat the telltale fever and shivering associated with the disease. The bark was soon sent to Rome, where malaria was rampant, and the results were amazing.

In the early 1800s, scientists determine isolated quinine, the ingredient responsible for the anti-malarial effect of the cinchona bark. Many historians believe that quinine played an important role in the colonization of Africa and during World War II.

Where?

Mosquitoes tend to thrive in warm and humid environments, so it’s no surprise that the majority of people affected by the malaria live in countries with a tropical climate. Check out the malaria distribution map from the CDC website:

According to the CDC, 500 million people suffer from malaria and 1 to 3 million people die each year.

Today, very few cases of malaria are reported in the US, but this was not the case 50 years ago when it was the scourge of the south.  In fact, malaria was such a significant health problem that it influenced the then newly-formed Centers for Disease Control (CDC) to select Atlanta as its headquarters.

My personal experience

I was 10 years old and traveling in India when I first caught malaria. Usually, travelers in high-risk regions take  anti-malaria pills to prevent the disease, but I had to stop due to serious side-effects.

As my friends and family know, I am a mosquito magnet. Frankly, I am not surprised that I caught malaria.

As soon as I fell ill the local doctor immediately recognized the signs of malaria and was able to treat me right away. I was sick for about 1 week, with the worst symptoms lasting only two days. I was lucky because treatment was readily available. People in poor countries do not have rapid access to health care and tend to suffer for long periods of time.

Malaria: Take two

About one year later, I had malaria again; however, this time I was at home in the San Francisco Bay Area, which has a mild climate and very few mosquitoes. How did I catch malaria in the Bay Area? The answer is, I didn’t.

As it turns out, the parasite that causes malaria can live inside liver cells without causing any harm. For some unknown reason, the parasite exits the liver cell and becomes active to cause disease again. This is what happened to me.

My second experience with malaria was considerably worse because my primary care doctor had never seen a patient with the disease. For two weeks I suffered from raging headaches, high fevers and chills. I was rapidly losing weight and I even slipped in and out of consciousness a few times.

My parents were terrified. Eventually I was referred to an infectious disease specialist who recognized the signs of malaria and treated me right away. Given my extreme symptoms, the specialist told my parents that I was lucky to be alive.

Although I did not understand it at the time, I realize that my primary care doctor would never have thought of malaria given the rarity of the disease in America. I can’t blame him, but I hope that he learned from my illness.

Epilogue

My experiences with malaria changed my life. Because of the illness, I decided to major in immunology at U.C. Berkeley and worked in an infectious diseases laboratory for a few years.

Ultimately, the most lasting lesson of my bouts with malaria is that life is very precious. I had come close to losing it, but I was spared. Knowing firsthand what it is like to suffer from malaria, I can only hope that medical science can create a vaccine that can halt the disease in its tracks.

For more information about malaria, please click here for the CDC’s Malaria page.

If you would like to read more about the philanthropic efforts of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to combat malaria worldwide, please click here.

-Dr. Dave