Malaria is one of the common monsoon diseases transmitted through the bite of an infected Anopheles mosquito. It can prove out to be one of the deadliest diseases to affect humans, along with other mosquito-borne diseases like dengue, chikungunya and Zika. While protection from mosquitoes using methods like keeping the environment clean and using mosquito repellent might be helpful, one should also be wary about the causes of malaria, along with malaria symptoms, in order to stay safe.
Causes of Malaria
Malaria can occur if a female Anopheles mosquito infected with the Plasmodium parasite bites a person. To get a broader perspective, there are four kinds of malaria parasites that can infect humans, which include Plasmodium vivax, Plasmodium ovale, Plasmodium malaria, and Plasmodium falciparum. Out of these malaria parasites, Plasmodium falciparum is known to be the most fatal, even posing a high risk of death.
Since malaria is transmitted through blood, here are the common causes of malaria:
1. From an infected mother to her baby at birth. This is known as congenital malaria,
2. An organ transplant,
3. A transfusion,
4. Use of shared needles or syringes.
Malaria Symptoms
A mosquito-borne disease, the symptoms of malaria typically develop within 10 days to 4 weeks following the bite. In other cases, malaria symptoms may not develop for several months. The symptoms of uncomplicated malaria typically last 6 to 10 hours and recur every second day.
The common symptoms of malaria include:
1. Shaking chills ranging moderate to severe
2. High fever, in cycles
3. Profuse sweating
4. Headache
5. Nausea and vomiting
6. Abdominal pain
7. Diarrhea
8. Anemia
9. Muscle pain
10.Convulsions
11.Coma
12.Bloody stools
Malaria Treatment
Malaria can be a life-threatening condition, especially if a person is infected with the parasite Plasmodium falciparum. Once the symptoms appear to show and the doctor diagnoses the disease, one should immediately start the malaria treatment.
On the basis of the parasite infecting a person’s body, the doctor prescribes medications. In some instances, the medication prescribed may not clear the infection because of parasite resistance to drugs. In other cases, such as that of Plasmodium vivax and Plasmodium ovale, the parasite can live in the patient’s body for an extended period of time.
For malaria treatment, doctors usually prescribe ACT with a partner drug. While the ACT aims to reduce the number of parasites within the first 3 days of infection, the partner drugs eliminate the rest.
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