MALARIA IN GUYANA

PREPARED BY AUBREY BENJAMIN &

MARIA ANGELIKA REYES
 Overview
Malaria - infectious disease transmitted by an infected female Anopheles
Mosquito(vector)
Caused by- a parasite, a protozoa named Plasmodium (P.)
5 Types - P. falciparum
- P. vivax
- P. ovale, malariae, and knowlesi
P. falciparum, P. vivax and P. malariae -are endemic to Guyana
There are specific incubation periods for the different Plasmodium species.
P. Falciparum infection develops with in 1 month of exposure(rarely 1yr after)
infects all ages of RBC (Herchline 2017).

P. ovale and P. vivax may present weeks to months after infecting host.
Infect only young Red Blood Cell (RBC) P. vivax may have relapses weeks to 5
years
P. Knowlesi – cases have been observed in the Philippines –treated aggressively
similarly to treatment for P. falciparum (Herchline 2017)
P. vivax can be dormant in the liver for months before causing infection.

P. Falciparum is the most deadly, or malignant form of Malaria

- seen as a banana shaped protozoa under a microscope.
- this shape is characteristic – helps in identification
 What happens in the
body?
Infected female Mosquito bites a human to obtain
blood.
- deposits sporozoites from its saliva
- infects hepatocytes(liver cells) with in 30 min

Hepatic schizonts multiply and ruptures depositing

merozoites into blood.
- infects RBC(red blood cell schizonts)
The RBC ruptures releasing merozoites into the blood
that infect other RBC

At some time in the process RBC’s are infected with

male and female gametes
- these gametes would be taken up by a mosquito
taking a blood meal from the infected person.

And the cycle continues if no treatment is given.

 Organs Affected & Signs and
Symptoms
Organs Affected -
• Blood
• Blood vessels (due to sequestration)
• Kidneys
• Brain
• End Organ disease- CNS, lungs and kidney
• Hypoglycemia
• Lactic acidosis
• Severe anemia
• Multiorgan dysfunction due to hypoxia.
Patients generally show symptoms a few weeks
after infection
Depending on the infecting organism.
Common Symptoms & Signs
• Headache
• Cough
• Fatigue
• Malaise
• Shaking chills
• Arthralgia
• Myalgia
• Fever every 48 to 72 hrs depending on
 Who is affected?
Guyana -a low income country, located in the tropical region.
-prime area for mosquitoes especially the anopheles mosquitoes.
- gold mining and logging industry areas are main areas affected
The mining areas are- covered with rainforest
-mountainous
-next to rivers
-swampy areas suitable for mosquitoes to survive.
- populated with criminal groups from Venezuela and locally
Persons infected with malaria from the mining camps live in the cities in Guyana.
When they travel to their homes they may be bitten by mosquitoes that infect other people.
This is how the infection is transmitted to other persons outside the endemic area.

Globally
Persons visiting Guyana may be bitten by an infected Mosquito
3 weeks after returning home(to the USA) they may feel as though they are getting the flu.
- if the person does not live in Florida then the parasite will not be transmitted to other
persons because a vector is needed for transmission.

-Diagnosis of malaria is vital to treatment.

Map of Guyana Mining
camp

GUYANA

Illegal mining Rain

Forester
 GUYANA
Guyana
 
Location
Guyana lies in the northeast of America. It is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the north
and east. The word “Guiana” means “land of many waters” because of the navigable
rivers in the country. Countries that borders Guyana are Brazil, Suriname and Venezuela,
and it also shares maritime borders with Trinidad and Tobago and Barbados.
Climate
Guyana’s climate is warm and tropical throughout the year. The rainfall is generally high
for most of the year, as is the humidity. December to January and May to June are the
rainy seasons.
Culture
50% Christian, 33% Hindu and less than 10% Muslim.
The official language is English, but at least eight other languages and dialects are also
spoken.
Its population is multi-ethnic: Indo-Guyanese (40%), Afro-Guyanese (26%), Amerindian
(11%) and ethnically mixed (20%).
GLOSSARY

Protozoan – a small single cellular organism that are capable of invading other
multicellular organism. E.g. amoeba (Collins dictionary.com)

Vector – an insect or other organism that causes a disease by carrying a germ or

parasite from one person to another(Collins dictionary.com)
 Reference
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 Reference cont’d

Guyana Malaria Map. (n.d.). Retrieved February 21, 2018, from

http://www.fitfortravel.nhs.
uk./destinations/south-america—antarctica/Guyana/Guyana-malaria-map.aspx

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 Reference cont’d

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envisaged

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https://emedicine.medscape.com/article/221134-overview

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