Dengue and malaria both are infectious diseases which are caused by mosquito bites. The mode of transmission for both diseases are same which is a mosquito vector but a different type of mosquito. Although both are mosquito borne diseases but there are many differences between both diseases.

Malaria vs Dengue

Definition:

Malaria:

Malaria is defined as an infectious disease caused by a parasite (plasmodium) that infects the female anopheles mosquito which bites on human.

Dengue:

Dengue is defined as a viral infection caused by a virus known as dengue virus (DENV), a virus of the Flaviviridae family that transmit infection in human by the bite of infected mosquitoes called Aedes aegypti.

Risk factors:

Risk factors are those factors that increase the risk of certain diseases:

Malaria:

The following are the risk factors of malaria:

  • People living or visiting the tropical and sub tropical regions
  • Standing water
  • Age (there is increased risk in extreme of ages i.e. infants, young children, and older adults)
  • Areas with high rates of malaria
  • Environmental factors (less use of protective clothing, no use of mosquito repellent, sleeping in exposed areas)
  • Weak immune system
  • Pregnant woman
  • Blood transfusions
  • New born babies (transmission from mother to babies).

Dengue:

The following are the risk factors of dengue:

  • Tropical regions
  • Standing water
  • Past history of having dengue
  • Environmental factors.

Causes:

Malaria:

The causativeorganism of malaria is the plasmodium parasite.

Dengue:

The causativeorganism of dengue is the Aedes aegypti mosquito.

Types:

Malaria:

Following are the different types of malaria:

  • Plasmodium malariae (P. malariae)
  • Plasmodium ovale (P. ovale)
  • Plasmodium vivax (P. vivax)
  • Plasmodium falciparum (P. falciparum)
  • Plasmodium knowlesi (P. knowlesi).

Dengue:

Following are the different types of dengue:

  • DENV- 1
  • DENV- 2
  • DENV- 3
  • DENV- 4.

Sign and symptoms or clinical presentation:

Malaria:

Sign and symptoms may vary depending on the type of malarial parasite. Following are the common sign and symptoms of malaria:

  • Fever (most common symptom)
  • Muscle ache
  • Joint pain
  • Headache
  • Chills
  • Sweating
  • Diarrhoea
  • Nausea and vomiting
  • Abdominal ache
  • Rapid heart beat
  • Fatigue.

Dengue:

Following are the sign and symptoms of dengue:

  • Fever (most common symptom)
  • Headache
  • Nausea and vomiting
  • Rashes
  • Muscle ache
  • Bone or joint pain
  • Pain behind eyes
  • Bleeding gums or nose bleeds
  • Tiredness irritability or restlessness.

Investigations or lab tests:

To diagnose and rule out the cause or/ and site or/ and type of the disease your doctor will suggest some lab tests (investigations).

Malaria:

The following are the investigations to diagnose malaria:

  • History taking
  • Travel history
  • Examination (inspection, superficial palpation, deep palpation, percussion, and auscultation)
  • Complete blood count
  • Polymerase chain reaction (PCR)
  • Blood glucose test
  • Giemsa stained thick and thin blood smears
  • Clotting profile
  • Rapid diagnostic tests (RDTs).

Dengue:

The following are the investigations to diagnose dengue:

  • History taking
  • Travel history
  • Examination
  • Complete blood count (CBC)
  • Serology
  • Liver function tests (LFTs)
  • Serum albumin level
  • Chest x ray
  • Clotting profile
  • Abdominal ultrasound
  • Reverse transcription insulated isothermal polymerase chain reaction (RT-iiPCR).

Treatment:

Malaria:

The following are the treatment options for malaria:

  • Anti malarial medications (chloroquine phosphate, artemisinin based combination therapy (ABCTs), Atovaquone proguanil, Quinine Sulfate, Primaquine phosphate
  • Symptomatic treatment (treatment that treat symptoms of disease)
  • Life style changes (more intake of proteins, nutritious food, more intake of fluids, avoid high fibre diet, avoid high in fat content food, drink plenty of fluids, too much rest).

Dengue:

The following are the treatment options for dengue:

  • No specific medicine for the treatment of dengue
  • Symptomatic treatment is helpful in dengue patients
  • Paracetamol (avoid taking aspirin or ibuprofen)
  • Life style changes (take nutritious food, intake of plenty of fluids, too much rest).

Complications:

Malaria:

The following are the complications of malaria:

  • Organ failure (liver failure, kidney failure)
  • Cerebral malaria
  • Anemia
  • Low blood sugar (hypoglycemia)
  • Pulmonary edema
  • Shock
  • Acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS)
  • Dehydration.

Dengue:

The following are the complications of dengue:

  • Internal bleeding
  • Organ damage (heart failure, kidney failure)
  • Brain hemorrhage
  • Pleural effusion
  • Shock
  • Coma
  • Death (severe cases may lead to death).

Conclusion:

The bestthing about both malaria and dengue is that they can be prevented and are curable and treatable. Preventive measures are the use of insect repellent, wearing of clothes that cover most of the body like full sleeved clothes and full length pants, use of mosquito bed nets, and spraying insecticides.

By- Dr. Pashmina.