Malaria Treatment Medication

is malaria contagious

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Mosquito bites are awful, but when it comes to pain and swelling, getting bit by a black fly or horse fly can be worse. In some parts of the US black flies are called turkey gnats or buffalo gnats, and like mosquitoes they like to be around water when it’s warm. People who live on the west coast don’t have to deal with them, but mosquitoes are a nuisance for everyone. Mosquitoes can transmit malaria, and it’s common for people to get vaccinated against malaria before travelling to any region where they might or use Qualaquin for malaria treatment. But is malaria contagious? No, it is not contagious.

The regions with the biggest risk for malaria are Sub-Saharan Africa and parts of Southeast Asia, and that’s because the Anopheles mosquito thrives there. Although, to be fair, the male mosquitoes of this species aren’t any more dangerous than the ones we have here. Either gender will be keen to bite you, but malaria is only transmitted by the female Anopheles mosquito. They also love being in low altitude areas. Livingstone and Victoria Falls, on the border of Zambia and Zimbabwe, is one of the natural 7 wonders of the world, and it’s a spectacular place but get a malaria shot if you ever plan to go there.

Fortunately, malaria is treatable and the treatment for Malaria is always some type of antimalarial drug. Is malaria contagious? No, you can’t pass it on to someone by being in close contact with them like you could with COVID-19 these days. That being said, some people believe that Plaquenil – another medication used only as a treatment for malaria – can be used to treat or prevent COVID. It’s been proven there’s absolutely zero truth to that, but some people still believe it. Same thing goes for Ivermectin and that one is strictly for horses only.

With our answer to is malaria contagious out of the way and an understanding that antimalarial or dewormer drugs do NOT prevent COVID-19, let’s look at malaria in more detail and how these treatment for malaria meds work.

Get Better with Quinine

Summertime is also the time of the year when gin and tonic on ice is a staple beverage for a lot of people. Tonic water contains quinine, and it might be the best thing for people who have difficulty sleeping well or are constantly annoying their partner. Not because they are an insomniac or a toss-and-turn type, but if the reason they can’t sleep is because they have restless legs, then that’s an actual syndrome. People will restless leg feel a constant compulsion to move their legs and this can really make it difficult to get a good rest.

Drinking tonic water can help with getting rid of restless legs. Not that you should drink copious amounts of the stuff, and a doctor may recommend a dopaminergic drug to deal with it most effectively. This has nothing to do with is malaria contagious, but quinine sulfate is the ingredient in malaria medication. Qualaquin and other malaria drugs like it work by having quinine sulfate preventing the product of certain proteins and stopping the viral organism from metabolizing sugar. When it is unable to reproduce its genetic material, the virus starts to die out and the person can recover from malaria.

Malaria Vaccine Breakthrough

Bacterial infections are contagious, but malaria is not contagious so if you do have the misfortune of being bitten and contracting malaria, then you don’t have to worry about infecting others with it. You will need to start on a treatment for malaria, but once you do the infection usually clears relatively quickly. Antimalarial medications were a huge breakthrough in the earlier part of the 20th century, and they have saved many lives over the years since then.

Which is darn important, as it is nearly impossible to avoid being bitten by mosquitoes and that’s true even if you’re using an insect repellant on your skin. But is malaria contagious? No, it is not. And one good thing is that many game park and safari resorts in Africa have insecticide treated mosquito nets in the sleeping quarters for their guests. Vaporizing pyrethroid tablets is another way that the accommodations are made safer from mosquitoes. Even still, mosquito bites can happen and that’s why it is best to be vaccinated.

Earlier this year the World Health Organization recommended the world’s 1st malaria vaccine and once it passes clinical trials it is going to be piloted in select areas of Africa – Ghana, Kenya, and Malawi.


IMPORTANT NOTE: The above information is intended to increase awareness of health information and does not suggest treatment or diagnosis. This information is not a substitute for individual medical attention and should not be construed to indicate that use of the drug is safe, appropriate, or effective for you. See your health care professional for medical advice and treatment.


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