Malaria: Epidemiology, pathogenesis, and therapeutics

Malaria has been a problem for humans since the beginning of time, and it shows no signs of going away. Malaria has been considerably decreased by worldwide efforts over the last decade, but millions of children, particularly in the tropics, continue to be at risk. Plasmodium malariae causes malaria, which is present in virtually all malaria-endemic regions and is associated with long-term parasite carriage, severe anemia, and kidney damage. Malaria symptoms can range from no symptoms to significant symptoms in patients with silent parasitemia. In the case of a human malaria clinical illness, pathogenesis, is a complex story with many players, places, and consequences. As with any effective parasite, the observable result of evolution in malaria is an uninterrupted transmission from mosquito to human to mosquito, with no impact on the vector and host. Malaria must be diagnosed quickly and precisely to initiate treatment on time, reducing morbidity and mortality, particularly in young children, and preventing unnecessary antimalarial use, therefore limiting the development of resistance. Combination therapy is now being investigated as a viable method for combating drug resistance. Combination therapies include creating hybrid molecules that combine two or more bioactive chemicals via specific capabilities, as well as integrating medications into polymer-based carriers. Several nanosized delivery techniques for the treatment and prevention of malaria have been demonstrated. This chapter covers many methods for delivering antimalarials using nanocarriers, as well as mechanisms that make it simpler to target them to Plasmodium sp.-infected cells.