Malaria is commonly misdiagnosed as the symptoms of malaria resemble many other illnesses and diseases. The difficulty with misdiagnosing malaria is that it needs to be treated within 24 hours or it can progress to an incredibly severe illness and even lead to death.
Malaria symptoms
Symptoms can be mild or life-threatening.
Mild symptoms are:
- Fever
- Chills
- Headache.
Severe symptoms include:
- Fatigue
- Confusion
- Seizures
- Difficulty breathing.
The Malaria Burden
- There were 263 million global cases of malaria in 2023, 14 million more than the year before
- Malaria disproportionately affects children under five and those residing in rural areas
- In 2023 the WHO Africa Region was home to 94% (246 million) of all malaria cases and 95% (569 000) of deaths
- The estimated number of malaria deaths stood at 597,000 in 2023
- In Africa, children under 5 years of age accounted for around 76% of all malaria deaths
- Four countries in Africa accounted for over half of the malaria deats: Nigeria (30.9%), the Democratic Republic of the Congo (11.3%), Niger (5.9%) and United Republic of Tanzania (4.3%).
Source: World Health Organisation's Malaria factsheet
LONGEVITY and malaria
The malaria burden can be reduced by tackling the issue of non-adherence to current malaria prevention regimens which require taking many tablets, and adding new tools to the control strategies currently available.
The LONGEVITY Project aims to broaden the long-acting technologies available for people in LMICs. We are exploring development of a microarray patch (MAP) that people can wear on their skin for a few hours but will continue to release relevant medication for a period of time after it's removed. MAPs could dramatically impact ease and tolerability of malaria prevention, especially in those most effected i.e. newborns, babies and children. This will simplify drug delivery to improve adherence, reduce transmission rates and support future strategies to eliminate the disease.
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