Comprehensive Analysis of Malaria: Causes, Incubation Period, Transmission Methods, Prevention, Control, and Treatment

Abstract

Malaria is causing a significant burden of diseases and deaths worldwide. It has become a global issue, and its long history can be traced back to the most ancient writings. Malaria is historically known as an infectious disease. Malaria cases are classified by several causes, and the pathogen of malaria can be found in various species of the mosquito vector and four different types of the parasite in the blood. The onset of the disease occurs just 48 hours after the bite of the female Anopheles mosquito, which is very characteristic and called cold in agues. This is also a typical symptom of a fever and one of the earliest biomolecular disease philosophies based on the life cycle model. Moreover, it is also a recurrent infection that is more severe than the previous infection and is not transmitted directly between humans. It is important to detect the pathogen immediately for the pre- and post-infection processing of infection and onset, as there is only a short time to perform medical treatment. However, the microscopic identification of the pathogen in the blood is very difficult, especially when the concentration of the pathogen in the blood is low. Most studies have developed diagnostic devices to detect the concentration of the pathogen. Methods: The key electronic sources of information included databases and websites. Information from earlier reviews was used, along with relevant articles within the chosen time frame and languages (Spanish, English, Portuguese, and French). Key search terms included epidemiology, malaria, plasmodium, prophylaxis, antimalarial, parasites, insecticides, vectors, and vector control. After deduplication, 1,001 titles were scanned, resulting in 231 abstracts. After assessing the abstracts, 82 articles were obtained, with 1 article unable to be obtained. Nine articles were excluded, leaving 72 articles for this review. Two articles published in Spanish were found. Historical sources were used to provide context. Conclusion: In recent years, malaria cases have been reduced significantly with the use of insecticide-treated nets, indoor residual spraying, and anti-mosquito inoculation on a large scale in most countries throughout the world. However, many individuals in all 56 endemic countries have not benefited from these effective methods yet, particularly those individuals in impoverished and marginalized populations. We focus on the causes of malaria, incubation period and symptoms, transmission methods, prevention (personal, community-based, and protection from mosquito bites), control approaches, and treatment options. The purpose is to raise awareness in both societies and governments in which malaria is still a severe public health problem, to promote the importance of disease prevention and control activities, and to discuss them in a single paper together, which has not been studied comprehensively yet. We expect that about 100,000 malaria cases in at least 44 endemic countries can be prevented due to increased fundraising and elimination plans accordingly. In conclusion, the real reasons for the high-risk people who cannot access malaria-reduction methods should be investigated thoroughly, and hidden subpopulations should be revealed using further studies. Useful advice and measures about protection and control must be given to all the people who visit malaria-endemic countries. Not just the individuals in malaria-endemic zones, there is a duty to everyone to prevent invitations to misery. We all must accept social responsibilities for avoiding the continuity of health disasters because the health of everyone affects the health of everyone else. Increased fundraising in health research and malaria programs conducted by global organizations, foundation support, and extra funding from philanthropists is expected, and government support for affected countries is needed.