Malaria: Symptoms, complications, treatment, and prevention

Malaria Definition:

It is a severe infectious disease, mainly transmitted to humans by mosquitoes of the Anopheles species.

General information

Also, this disease can be transmitted from mother to fetus, by transfusion of contaminated blood and via contact with the infected person (for example, when addicts reuse syringes). It is common in tropical areas, especially in rural areas. In some countries, it has reached the level of the epidemic, although in cities this problem is less acute.

Malaria Symptoms

The disease flows cyclically. The attack of it usually lasts 6-10 hours and is manifested by a sharp rise in temperature to high figures and a succession of chill periods with tremors, heat, and sweat. The end of the attack is characterized by a decrease in temperature to normal or subnormal digits and increased perspiration, lasting 2-5 hours. Then comes a deep sleep. The offense is usually accompanied by a headache and muscle pain, fatigue, weakness, nausea, and vomiting. In some cases, there may be jaundice (jaundice of the skin and icteric sclera), coma.

The cycle repeats every 48 or 72 hours.

If such symptoms occur, it is recommended that you consult your doctor as soon as possible. When confirming the diagnosis, hospitalization is necessary.

Complications

It has unpleasant symptoms of the disease itself, it is hazardous for its complications:

- Anemia

- liver damage, which can manifest jaundice of the skin.

- the defeat of the lungs with a loud cough with bloody sputum.

- heart failure.

- Brain damage, accompanied by convulsions, mental disorders, paralysis or coma.

- hemoglobinuria fever does massive destruction of erythrocytes, leading to acute jaundice, excretion of hemoglobin in the urine, loss of consciousness and renal insufficiency.

What can you do

If you have visited areas that are characteristic of it or have recently given you a blood transfusion, and the symptoms of the onset of the disease are similar to those described above, you need to see a doctor.

What can the doctor do?

For the diagnosis, a blood test is required to detect the parasite. Treatment is carried out by specific antimalarial drugs (delagil, hingamin, chloroquine and others) only in a hospital and under the supervision of a doctor. It is essential to prevent possible complications and to cure them at the initial stages. In severe cases, the blood transfusion may be required.

Prevention

Avoid trips to malarious areas. If you still go to the area of the epidemic, ask the doctor or pharmacist about the possible methods of prevention. There is the first antimalarial. The course begins 1-2 weeks before the trip, continue to be taken during the entire stay in the epidemic zone and another four weeks after the return.

Also, you have to protect yourself from mosquito bites and report to the doctor for malaria symptoms. To do this, use insect repellents and mosquito nets.