Malaria
| Date posted: | 14 July 2006 | | Last modified: | 19 March 2007 |
Malaria is a common, but serious tropical disease. It is the most important insect-borne disease and remians a significant health problem in many parts of the world. It is estimated that between 2 - 3 million people die annually from malaria. The vast majority of these deaths are children under the age of five years, living in Sub-Saharan Africa. Most of these deaths could be prevented by early diagnosis and adequate treatment.
Malaria is caused by the protozoal parasites of the genus Plasmodium which infects both mosquitoes and humans. The basic lifecycle is as follows: The infected Anopheles female mosquito bites the human injecting the Plasmodium parasites into the blood. These quickly pass into the liver where they multiply before invading the erthrocytes (red blood cells) and multiplying further in a repeated cycle (manifested by fever). If a female Anopheles mosquito bites this infected patient, parasites from the blood meal multiply in the stomach wall of the mosquito. Thousands of new parasites migrate to her salivary glands, to be injected via the saliva into the next human host.
The incubation period varies from 10 - 30 days and may even be as little as 7 days. The incubation period may be prolonged if the person took malaria preventitive drugs, but for an insufficient time period. No drugs are fool-proof, but may help limit the severity of the malaria.
The symptoms of malaria:
- initially similiar to mild flu
- shivering attacks
- headache
- fever
- muscular pains
- nausea
- diarrhoea
- fatigue
- severe sore throat or cough
Malaria in pregnant women increases the risk of maternal death, neonatal death and stillborn. Medical help should be sought immediately if malaria is suspected. Young children are also at special risk if they contract malaria as they can become seriously ill. If untreated, malaria can lead to severe complications such as anaemia and jaundice.
The diagnosis of malaria should be an early and serious consideration for any patient with fever who has travelled to or originates from a malaria area. The diagnosis must be comfirmed by means of blood samples taken often over a 72 hour period before malaria can be excluded. Malaria is a notifiable disease. The doctor must notify the local Health Authority, preferably on a notification form, otherwise telephonically. In spite of many efforts to eradicate malaria, the situation is getting worse in many areas. One of the reasons for this is that the prevention and treatment of malaria is becoming more difficult because of the increasing and widespread resistance of the parasites to antimalarial drugs.
Some preventitive measures:
- avoid being outdoors between dusk and dawn as this is when mosquitoes feed
- wear long sleeves and trousers
- apply an insect repellant containing DEET, such as Mylol and Tabard, to the exposed skin
- use screens and nets, preferably impregnated with an insecticide such as permethrin
- use "kockdown" insecticide sprays
- burn mosquito coils or use electronic pads
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