World Malaria Day is organized to highlight the need of controlling and preventing it. It was introduced by WHO in the year 2007.
Malaria is caused by plasmodium parasites which are spread through mosquito bites. It is highly prevalent in Africa where a child dies every minute due to it. Malaria is also prevalent in India, especially in the southern areas . Statistics show that around 6.2 lakh deaths occurred due to malaria,in the year 2012.
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World Malaria Day – April 25
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Read on to know more about malaria and how to protect yourselves from it. World Malaria Day – April 25
What all parasites cause malaria in humans –
- Plasmodium falciparum
- Plasmodium vivax
- Plasmodium malariae
- Plasmodium ovale.
Symptoms of Malaria-
- Fever
- Headache
- Chills
- Vomiting
Severe malaria can lead to –
- Severe Anemia
- Respiratory Distress
- Cerebral Malaria
- Asymptomatic Infections
- Death
Other Complications of Malaria Include –
- Kidney and liver failure
- Hemolytic Anemia
- Meningitis
- Pulmonary Edema
- Hemorrhage
Diagnosis of it.
Early diagnosis of malaria is essential to prevent complications, disease transmission and death. Malaria is diagnosed by the following methods –
- Microscopic Examination of Blood
- Antigen Tests
- Molecular Methods
- Liver Function Test
- Complete Blood Profile
Treatment of it.
As it can be a medical emergency, it might require hospital stay. Common treatment methods include the following –
- Artemisinin-based combination therapy (ACT)
- Chloroquine Treatment
- IV fluids and respiratory also might be needed in some cases
If the malarial infection is found to be Chloroquine resistant, the following medications are used to treat the condition –
- Mefloquine Treatment
- Combination of pyrimethamine and sulfadoxine etc
- Combination of quinidine, doxycycline, tetracycline
How to Prevent it.
As there is no vaccine available for Malaria yet, the first line of defense is mosquito control. Adopt ways to protecting yourselves from mosquito bites and prevent mosquitoes from breeding.
It is very important for us to implement malaria control strategies to control this deadly disease.
Read our Previous Article World Health Day – Preventing Vector Borne Diseases.
The above article is about World Malaria Day