MALARIA: FACTS TO KNOW
Malaria is a life-threatening disease caused by infected female mosquitoes. Sub-Saharan Africa carries the main burden of this disease.
Eighty-eight percent of the malaria cases in the world are in sub-Saharan Africa. Ninety percent of the malaria deaths are also in Africa.
Malaria is preventable and curable. It is caused by plasmodium parasites through anopheles mosquitoes. P falciparum causes the majority of malaria cases in African sub-continent
Symptoms:
Malaria usually comes with fever, chills, headache, muscle, or joint pains, and vomiting. Symptoms start seven days after an infected mosquito bite. If not treated carefully, it may progress to severe illness, often leading to death.
Complications:
Severe malaria usually gives rise to complications like anaemia, cerebral malaria, respiratory distress, and multi-organ involvement, if not treated carefully on time.
Diagnosis:
Diagnosis is usually made by symptoms and confirmation by blood test. We must do blood tests to avoid misdiagnosis and unnecessary antimalarial treatments which can cause resistance after some time.
Specific antimalarial treatment should be started as soon as malaria is diagnosed. It may vary from tablets to injections depending on the severity of the disease.. It is essential to complete the prescribed dose of antimalarial and supportive drugs to prevent relapse.