Those with blood genotype AS might never really understand what most of us with AA blood genotype go through in the hand of malaria parasites. Nature has a way of compensating heterozygous breeds (or shall we call it hybrid vigor?), after all. Interestingly though, not all AA folks have to battle malaria fever every three to four months. Unfortunately for me, I happen to be among the latter.
If a million and one symptoms are lined up and I am asked to identify my own malarial symptoms among them, I will do so with my eyes closed. For the past 2 years or so, there seems to be a perfect correlation between time and me coming down with malaria. It is almost every 4 months. The last time I came down with one, I wrote a post about it here
For the past 5 days or so, I have been having my peculiar and characteristic symptoms of the disease, including:
Each time I get these symptoms and I go for a diagnostic test, malaria comes out as the diagnosis 100% of the time. Hence, I do not bother to go to the hospital or diagnostic laboratory anymore whenever these symptoms come up. Since malaria drugs are available over the counter, I just walk into the nearest drugstore or pharmacy and pick up the relevant drugs.
Coming down with malaria is not something that used to be my thing in the past, until in recent years. In actual fact, I know many people whose blood genotype is AA but do not come down with malaria as regularly as I do, even though an interval of 3 to 4 months between malaria episodes seems to be normal. I have just been wondering why my immune system is not as strong as those that rarely come down with the disease. I suspect it could be because I rush to take drugs once the symptoms start showing up. How about giving it a little more time perhaps the immune system will take charge?
Generally speaking, it is known that both the innate and adaptive immune response is involved as far as the pathogenesis of diseases is concerned. Malaria is not left out in this regard. The immune system of someone infected with malaria parasites elicits some responses and according to studies, some of these responses can determine the next malaria episode in the host.
According to Schofield and Grau (2005), it is possible to acquire immunity to malaria, especially in those that live in places where the disease is endemic and have no genetic resistance, like the AS individuals. The immunity can happen at 3 levels:
In order to develop any of these immunities, an individual must have had multiple episodes of the disease so much so that the immune system gets too familiar and automatically braces up the next time. There are no published works showing clear evidence of how the immune system is able to achieve this feat but a few reports have it that the cytophilic antibodies and the memory cells produced during the various episodes of malaria are responsible. Although, I strongly feel a major breakthrough must have been made in this regard following the announcement that a malarial vaccine has been successfully developed.
Since research has shown that it is possible to be immune to malaria in such a way that one might either not show symptoms at all or at a level that will not require drugs or any form of treatment, I have been thinking of how safe it might be for one to wait a bit before deciding to treat their malaria.
In other words, if one hesitates from treating their malaria, they might be lucky enough for the symptoms to go away without having to take any drug on one hand, and they risk getting stronger symptoms or more complicated situations on the other hand.
Many people have died and will probably continue to die from malarial complications. Globally, an estimate of two million people dies from malaria-related complications yearly. Complications from malaria are known to vary depending on severity. They include but are not limited to cerebral malaria, pulmonary edema, acute renal failure, severe anemia, and/or bleeding.
Since malaria infection has become almost every 3 to 4 months occurrence in my body, I have decided not to rush to take drugs once the symptoms start presenting themselves because the potentials to develop immunity are there according to research. I do not wait for the symptoms to become too strong, however, so that I do not risk getting malaria-related complications from which millions die annually.
Thank you for your time.
