What is Malaria?
Malaria is an infectious disease, which is spread by mosquitoes. This diease is quite common in the tropical areas but can also occur in areas with a temperate climate. Warm temperatures and stagnant water provide an excellent breeding ground for mosquitoes. The infection is caused by the single mosquito bite of the infected Anopheles mosquito. The bite introduces a microorganism that enters the circulatory system and infects the blood cells and blood vessels of the humans.
Symptoms of Malaria
Symptoms include headache, shivering, high fever, joint pain, nausea, sweating, chills and diarrhea. These symptoms surface after 10-15 days after being bitten by the mosquito. Malaria can get complicated and leads to anemia, jaundice, blurring of vision, convulsions, spleen rupture, damage of vital organs. Such severe symptoms of Malaria are caused by P. falciparum parasite.
How do you get malaria?
Out of the many species of mosquitoes, Plasmodium knowlesi is known to cause malaria in humans. This parasite is spread through the bite of the female Anopheles mosquitoes, which are prevalent mostly in the nights. Africa, Asia, Middle East, Central and South America, few Pacific Islands, Haiti and the Dominican Republic are some high-risk areas for malaria.
Treatment & Prevention of Malaria
Blood samples are tested for the existence of the parasites. Once a clear diagnosis is done, malaria is treated with anti-malarial medication. The drug thwarts the ability of the microbe to further spread and reduces its resistance to a single drug. With proper treatment, people can expect full recovery. However, severe malaria can cause chronic infection and may cause death within few days or hours. Therefore, an early diagnosis is vital to reduce infection.
