Malaria
Malaria is caused by female Anopheles mosquito bite and it is a life threatening disease. The symptoms are chills, fever and flu. It can be cured over time.
Symptoms :-
The symptoms are usually seen after 7 – 15days. Flu can be seen as a primary symptom. Sometimes there are very mild symptoms and cannot be identified as Malaria. Symptoms like – High fever, cold and shivering, vomiting, body pain, diarrhea, headache, dry cough.
The symptoms vary from age, health and the kind of parasite you have. The people who live in the same affected areas develop the immune system after being exposed to it.
Cause and risk involved
Malaria is caused when a mosquito is infected by Plasmodium parasite. Malaria is usually caused when infected blood is transmitted but it can also be caused due to – use of the same needles or syringe again and again, organ transplant.
Once the parasite is entered in the body it directly goes to the liver and gets multiplied. Parasite gets into the blood cells and lays eggs which from time to time get multiplied. By this the person can get sick.
Types of malaria
There are around 4 types of malaria parasite
- Plasmodium vivax(P.vivax)
- Plasmodium ovale(P.ovals)
- Plasmodium malariae(P.malaria)
- Plasmodium falciparum (P.falciparum)
- Plasmodium vivax (P.vivax) –
This type is widely spread around the globe. More than 50% of malaria is caused by P.vivax. Flu is the common symptom seen in this type and the other symptoms include diarrhea, chills and fatigue.
- Plasmodium ovale (P.ovals)-
This is the rarest type mainly
in the tropical west African region. This is rare because the parasite is in the body for more than a year after the mosquito bite.
- Plasmodium malariae (P.malariae)-
This type is not spread easily and only found in tropical and subtropical regions. Symptoms are common as chills and fever.
- Plasmodium falciparum(P.f)-
The most common type which has the most number of death cases. In this the symptoms appear very soon and should be diagnosed on time.
Malaria is known as a deadly disease if not treated on time. Precautions have to be taken to avoid the disease.
Is malaria contagious or not ?
Malaria is not a contagious disease unless it’s infected to a pregnant woman and the disease is carried by a new born baby. It can also be contagious when shared with the same needle/syringe.
Treatment –
The symptoms of malaria are similar to many other diseases. The patient should provide a brief history of travel, drinking water and if any use of syringe previously. The doctor takes the blood sample and diagnoses if any parasite is found.
Malaria is diagnosed by different factor that include –
- Identification of the type of parasite
- The travel history( geographical area)
- Major symptoms observed
- Kidney problems
There are different medicines prescribed but there is no exact vaccine available. However in P.vivax and P.ovale type of malaria, the patient observes symptoms after a few months continued with treatment. It is also seen that it is mostly observed in children and teenagers.
