Malaria-Overview, Symptoms, Causes, Prevention and Treatment

Malaria is a disease caused by a mosquitoes . The parasite is transmitted to humans through the bites of infected mosquitoes. Persons with generally feel very sick, with a high fever and shaking chills. Around 220 million people are infected with malaria each year, and around 450,000 die from the disease. The majority of the people who die from the disease are young children in Africa. In this blog we will discuss about the symptoms and cause of the Malaria and its prevention tips in detail.

If you’re travelling to places where malaria is common, take steps to avoid mosquito bites by wearing protective clothing like shoes, jackets, socks and gloves, using insect repellants and sleeping under treated mosquito nets. Depending on the area you are visiting and your specific risk factors for infection, you may also want to take preventive medicine before, during and after your trip. There are now many malaria parasites that are now resistant to the most common drugs used to treat the disease.

Table of Contents

Symptoms of Malaria

Infection with malaria is usually characterized by the following symptoms:

Fever
Chills
Headache
Nausea
and vomiting
Muscle
pain and tiredness
Sweating
Chest
or abdominal pain
Cough

When to see a doctor

If you feel a fever while living in or after a trip to a high-risk malaria area, discuss with your doctor. The parasites that cause malaria can lie dormant in your body for up to a year. If you are having serious symptoms, seek emergency medical treatment.

Causes of Malaria

Malaria is caused by a type of microscopic parasite. The parasite is transmitted to humans most frequently by mosquito bites.

Mosquito transmission cycle

Uninfected mosquito: A mosquito gets infected by feeding
on a person who has malaria.
Transmission of the parasite: If this mosquito bites you in the
future, it will spread malaria parasites to you.
In the liver: They migrate to your liver once the
parasites reach your bodyâ€” where certain forms will lie dormant for as long as
a year.
Into the bloodstream: When the parasites mature, they
leave the liver and infect your red blood cells. This is when people typically
develop malaria symptoms.
On to the next person: If an uninfected mosquito bites you
at this point in the cycle, it will become infected with your malaria parasites
and will spread them to the other people it has bitten.

Other modes of transmission

Because of the parasites that cause malaria damage red blood cells, people can also catch malaria through exposure to infected blood, including:

Through
mother to the unborn child
From
blood transfusions
Sharing
needles used to inject medicines

Risk factors of Malaria

Living or visiting areas where the disease is endemic is the main risk factor for developing malaria. There are many different varieties of malaria parasites.

Risks of more-severe disease

People at elevated risk of severe disease include:

Young
children and babies
Older
adults
Travelers
coming from non-malaria areas
Pregnant
women and their unborn children

Poverty, lack of education, and little or no access to health care often lead to deaths from malaria worldwide.

Complications

Malaria can be fatal, especially due to the variety of parasite that is widespread in tropical parts of Africa. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that 90% of all deaths from malaria occur in Africa â€” most often in children under 5 years of age.

Malaria deaths are in most cases associated with one or more severe complications, including:

Cerebral malaria: If parasite-filled blood cells block
tiny blood vessels to your brain (cerebral malaria), you can experience
swelling of the brain or brain damage. Cerebral malaria can cause seizures and
coma.
Difficulties in Breathing: Accumulated fluid (pulmonary edema)
in your lungs will make breathing difficult.
Failed heart: Malaria can cause rupture your
kidneys or liver, or your spleen. Any of these conditions may be
life-threatening.
Anemia: Malaria affects the red blood cells,
and this can lead to anaemia
Low blood sugar: Serious forms of malaria itself can
cause low blood sugar (hypoglycemia), as can quinine â€” one of the most popular
medications used to combat malaria. Very low blood sugar can cause coma or
death.

Malaria can recur

Some malaria parasite types, which usually cause milder forms of the disease, can persist for years and cause relapses.

Prevention of Malaria

If you live in or are travelling to an area where malaria is common, take steps to prevent mosquito bites. The most active mosquitoes are between dusk and dawn. To defend yourself from mosquito bites, you should:

Cover
your skin. Wear long-sleeved shirts/tops and trousers.
Insect
repellant should be applied to skin and clothing. DEET containing Sprays may be used on skin
and permethrin containing sprays are suitable for clothing.
Sleep
under a net. Bed nets, particularly those treated with insecticide, help
prevent bites from a mosquito while youâ€™re sleeping.

Preventive medicine

If you are going to a place where malaria is common, ask your doctor a few months in advance about whether you can take medicines before, during and after your trip to help protect you against malaria parasites.

In general, the drugs taken to prevent malaria are the same drugs used to treat the disease. Your doctor needs to know when and where you’ll be travelling so that he or she can help you evaluate your risk for infection and, if necessary, prescribe the drug that will work best on the type of malaria parasite most commonly found in that region.

No vaccine yet

Scientists around the world are trying to develop a safe and effective vaccine for malaria. As of yet, however, there is still no malaria vaccine approved for human use.

Treatment of Malaria

Malaria is treated with prescription drugs to kill the parasite. The types of drugs and the length of treatment will vary, depending on:

What
type of malaria parasite you have
The
severity of your symptoms
Your
age
If
you are pregnant