Malaria is only transmitted by female mosquitoes. Most female mosquitoes are nocturnal feeders (that is, they only bite at night). Four Nobel Prizes have been awarded for work associated with malaria to Sir Ronald Ross (1902), Charles Louis Alphonse Laveran (1907), Julius Wagner-Jauregg (1927), and Paul Hermann Mller (1948).
The two most effective and potent anti-malarial drugs come from plants.
When combined with HIV/AIDS, malaria is even more deadly, particularly for pregnant women and children.
FAQs about malaria
What are the symptoms?
Symptoms of malaria include fever and flu-like illness, including shaking chills, headache, muscle aches, and tiredness. Nausea, vomiting, and diarrhoea may also occur. Malaria may cause anaemia and jaundice (yellow colouring of the skin and eyes) because of the loss of red blood cells. Infection with one type of malaria, P. falciparum, if not promptly treated, may cause kidney failure, seizures, mental confusion, coma, and death.
How soon will symptoms appear?
For most people, symptoms begin 10 days to four weeks after infection, although a person may feel ill as early as eight days or up to one year later.
How is it diagnosed?
Malaria is diagnosed by looking for the parasites in a drop of blood. Blood will be put onto a microscope slide and stained so that the parasites will be visible under a microscope.
What can I do?
A mosquito net offers protection against mosquitos and thus against diseases such as malaria. Treating the net with an insecticide can double effectiveness. The fine, see-through, mesh construction stops many insects from biting and disturbing the person using the net.
If you are concerned that you have been infected with the disease, visit your local clinic immediately.
Post published in: News