Dr. Jessica Pelletier speaks with Dr. Brit Long, who recently published a review article on malaria for emergency clinicians, about uncomplicated malaria infection.
Take-Home Points:
- Malaria is a highly prevalent disease worldwide that causes millions of cases and hundreds of thousands of deaths, though improving prevention strategies are helping mitigate this
- Malaria can be asymptomatic, uncomplicated, or complicated; we covered uncomplicated malaria today
- Uncomplicated malaria may come with fevers, which are usually cyclical, as well as flu-like symptoms
- Diagnosis is made using RDT or blood smear, though a smear is ideal for determining parasite burden and the infecting species
- Treatment should be guided by local guidelines and protocols, which take into account resistance patterns
- Most first-line antimalarials are well-tolerated, and uncomplicated malaria usually has a good prognosis when treated appropriately
- Prevention strategies include avoiding, blocking, and killing mosquitoes; chemoprophylaxis; and vaccines, where available
You can view the full show notes and references here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1t2z8OMLm6hmOMBrsAlp-vAFWDVsXkh6otCL-Qvh8jhM/edit?usp=sharing
Sound attributions:
