Malaria-Symptoms,Causes,Treatment, and Prevention

Malaria

What is Malaria?

Malaria is a life threatening disease which is caused by parasite called Plasmodium. It is transmitted to human through the bites of an infected female Anopheles mosquitoes.

When infected mosquito bites you the malaria parasite enters your blood stream and then the parasites will multiply and mature in the liver and they travel to blood stream and infect Red blood cells (RBC).

If another mosquito bites the infected person then the mosquito is also infected for the duration of its life and also it can infect other people when it bites them.

Malaria Symptoms

After infection the malaria symptoms develop within 10days to 4 weeks in the body. 

Sometimes it will take several months to develop.

The common malaria symptoms are:-

• High fever
• Chills
• Anemia
• Headache
• Sweating
• Cough
• Abdominal pain
• Vomiting
• Diarrhoea
• Bloody stools

Causes of Malaria

When a mosquito infected by Plasmodium parasites bites the person malaria occurs.

There are five types of malaria plasmodium parasites which can infect humans.

The five plasmodiums are: -

• Plasmodium vivax
• Plasmodium malariae
• Plasmodium ovale
• Plasmodium falciparum
• Plasmodium knowlesi

In this plasmodium falciparum is the severe and danger sometimes it may cause death. Rest all less severe but may cause death in some rare cases.

Malaria parasites can transfer from mother to fetus this is called congenital malaria.

Malaria Treatment

Treatment for malaria is provided in the hospitals there is a specific antimalarial treatment which will given by the Doctor after knowing from which parasite you are infected.

If you are infected with plasmodium falciparum parasite,as soon as possible must and should take the treatment after diagnosis of malaria parasite.

Prevention of Malaria

Present there is no vaccine for malaria.Doctors are still doing researches to develop vaccine for malaria.

Taking some personal prevention techniques to protect yourself from malaria is staying far from mosquitoes. 

If you are travelling to some other places where the malaria is common consult your doctor before and he or she will prescribe medications to prevent malaria.

The same medications which is used for treatment of malaria is used for prevention of malaria.

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