A friend of mine, a 2nd WW veteran believes that his current illness is a recurrence of malaria?

Question

His doctor says that he has never heard of malaria recurring after such a long time. My friend finds the symptoms are very similar. Any help welcomed.

Answer 1

Malaria is caused by infection by one of the Plasmodium species.

From the CDC's malaria FAQ website:

If I get malaria, will I have it for the rest of my life?

No, not necessarily. Malaria can be treated. If the right drugs are used, people who have malaria can be cured and all the malaria parasites can be eliminated. However, the disease can persist if it is left untreated or if it is treated with the wrong drug. Some drugs are ineffective because the parasite is resistant to them. Some patients may be treated with the right drug, but at the wrong dose or for too short a period of time.

Two types (species) of parasites, Plasmodium vivax and P. ovale, have dormant liver stages that can remain silent for years. Left untreated, these liver stages may reactivate and cause malaria attacks ("relapses") after months or years without symptoms. Patients diagnosed with P. vivax or P. ovale are often given a second drug to help prevent these relapses. Another type (species), P. malariae, if left untreated, has been known to persist in the blood of some persons for several decades.

But in general, if you are correctly treated for malaria, the parasites are eliminated and you are no longer infected with malaria.

The only way to diagnose active malaria infection is by visual observation of the blood - the effect on the red blood cells is evident. The presence of antibodies only indicates a prior exposure to the parasite.


So, whether or not your friend is having a relapse of malaria would depend upon 2 primary things: how was the disease treated initially and has he had relapses inthe past, which went undiagnosed as such? While it is not likely, it is possible, and if the symptoms are currently active, it would be a relatively simple procedure to diagnose (if, of course, the medical lab had a tech qualified to actually diagnose this, as it is not a common agent in the US).

Answer 2

Malaria is a disease that once you have it you dont get rid of it. Thoug it is HIGHLY unlikely that it would reoccure after all these years unless he has had outbreaks that he may not have recognised.

The parasite is relatively protected from attack by the body's immune system because for most of its human life cycle it resides within the liver and blood cells and is relatively invisible to immune surveillance. The parasite displays adhesive proteins on the surface of the infected blood cells, causing the blood cells to stick to the walls of small blood vessels, thereby preventing through the general circulation and the spleen where it can be distroyed. It is unknown just how long the parasite can reside undetected in the human host as there are several second and third generation medications that effectively irradicate most of the vector that are used for other illnesses.

So no not impossible but also not likely unless he has had chronic occurances.

Answer 3

it's probably hepatitis c, it can cause a wide range of symptoms similar to malaria...i would certainly have him tested for hcv since he is a veteran and the chances of those veterans having HCV is a whopping 75%!

HCV is commonly spread through mass innoculation and given to those to this very day in the armed services.

Good luck!