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Preventing Malaria
If I live
in an area where malaria is a problem, how can I prevent
myself and my family from getting sick?
You and
your family can prevent malaria by
-
keeping
mosquitoes from biting you, especially at night
-
taking
antimalarial drugs to kill the parasites
-
eliminating places around your home where mosquitoes breed
-
spraying
insecticides on your home’s walls to kill adult mosquitoes
that come inside
-
sleeping
under bed nets - especially effective if they have been
treated with insecticide, and
-
wearing
insect repellent and long-sleeved clothing if out of doors
at night
Isn't
there a malaria vaccine? And if not, why?
There is
currently no malaria vaccine approved for human use. The
malaria parasite is a complex organism with a complicated life
cycle. Its antigens are constantly changing and developing a
vaccine against these varying antigens is very difficult. In
addition, scientists do not yet totally understand the complex
immune responses that protect humans against malaria. However,
many scientists all over the world are working on developing
an effective vaccine. Because other methods of fighting
malaria, including drugs, insecticides, and bed nets, have not
succeeded in eliminating the disease, the search for a vaccine
is considered to be one of the most important research
projects in public health.
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