Malaria is such a widespread disease in the world that millions of people die every year because of this. This disease is caused by the bite of a female mosquito. The word malaria is derived from the Italian word “Mala Area” which means ‘bad air’. It is a disease caused by the parasitic Plasmodium.
Do you know that the earliest description of malaria is found in China (2700 BC). Malaria is also called Marsh Fever. The first study of malaria in 1880 was done by Charles Louis Alphonse Laverine Scientist.
Malaria is considered as a fairly serious disease. The symptoms are fever, shivering, sweating, headache, body ache, nausea and vomiting. Many times the fever goes away due to sweating, but it can happen again after a few hours. But it depends on which parasite has caused malaria.
Diagnosis
– Malaria is diagnosed by a blood test.
– By making slides from the patient’s blood, trained doctors examine a parasite called Plasmodium by microscope.
Now-a-days, with the latest technology, the diagnosis of malaria can be done in a few minutes with antigenrepid card test.
Better avoid
– Mosquito repellent creams and sprays can also be used.
– Prevent mosquitoes from growing. For this, be careful about cleaning around you.
– If drainage is not possible, apply insecticide.
– Individuals visiting malaria-prone areas are advised to take some medicines to prevent malaria with the advice of a doctor for a few weeks or a few months.
– To avoid mosquitoes during rainy days, wear clothes covering the entire body. Such as full sleeved kurta and pajama etc.
– Mosquitoes thrive in stagnant water. Therefore, before the rains, get the drains cleaned and the pits etc. filled.
– It is important to make people aware about this disease. Doctors and paramedical staff can do this job well apart from the government machinery.
No malaria vaccine is available yet, but research is on.
The most effective drug for malaria
Malaria can be fatal if not treated properly or due to negligence. Every year thousands of people in the country are dying of malaria infection. Therefore, as soon as symptoms appear, take the patient to the doctor and get them examined soon. Complications from malaria can be avoided with early diagnosis and treatment. Many types of drugs are used in malaria.
The most effective and WHO-recognized first line drug is Artemisine Combination Therapy. It is a mixture of two drugs that not only cures the malaria patient but also prevents malaria relapse and spreads to another person. Apart from this, chloroquine and sulfa drugs etc. are also used. To get fever, give paracetamol to the sufferer and give maximum amount of fluids to prevent lack of water in the body.
