Malaria is transmitted by the bite or injection of a female Anopheles mosquito. The mosquito needs human blood to meet its cyclical reproductive demands. In return, it releases its saliva into the human bloodstream. Africa bears 80% of the global malaria burden, of which Nigeria accounts for around 29% along with the Democratic Republic of the Congo. In Nigeria, it is responsible for 60% of clinic outpatients and 30% of hospital admissions, 11% of maternal deaths, 25% of infant deaths and 30% of infant deaths 5 years. These are very significant figures, but they become even more serious as we move away from malaria endemic regions like Nigeria. The last wish of a white man from the United States visiting Nigeria or any of the sub-Saharan countries for the first time, is to demand to sleep outdoors in a mosquito-infested swampy region without at least one mosquito net. He may soon need to start writing his death will.
So who are the most affected here? Pregnant women, children under 5 years of age, severely malnourished children, people whose welded bodies (the immunocompromised) have become excessively weak, and the elderly due to age-related decline in their immune systems.
In the past, malaria was thought to be due to stress, being in the sun too long, bad air (mal meaning bad and aria meaning air), eating too many fatty foods, and interestingly enough, eating too many papayas and oranges!
It may interest you to know that mosquito bites are not the only means by which malaria transmission usually occurs. A mother can also pass the baton to her unborn child, in which case it is called congenital malaria. Another means of transmission is transfusion of infected blood to uninfected persons.
HOW DO I KNOW IT IS MALARIA?
Many times, we all have had a good experience of what it feels like to have malaria, however, there are other medical conditions that can present as malaria, for example, typhoid fever, flu or rhinitis, therefore, the proper diagnosis is as important as proper treatment. We don’t want to end up filling a perforated basket with our expensive fruit juice. In many remote locations where sophisticated equipment is not used to diagnose malaria, it relies solely on the physician’s judgment and interpretations of the symptoms presented by the patient. These symptoms include fever, which is high-grade and occurs mainly at night, headache, chills and chills (vigorous shaking from feeling cold), vomiting, and prostration due to general weakness of the joints and muscles. In severe cases of malaria, the patient may become anemic, vomit profusely, have hypoglycemia (very low blood sugar below about 4mmol/L), may go into shock, have kidney failure, respiratory problems, and sometimes , abnormal bleeding. If you are not sure if it is malaria, do not start treating typhoid fever without confirmation by rapid diagnostic test (RDT) or microscopy to detect the presence of malaria parasites. The Widals test must be done repeatedly to confirm typhoid fever.
MALARIA PREVENTION
Let’s start with our environmental sanitation practices, regular drainage evacuations, elimination of mosquito breeding sites, proper waste management, puncturing cans before disposal, filling identified breeding sites with sand, and flood control strategies.
Next, we need to make use of available LLINs (long-lasting insecticidal nets) or ITNs (insecticide-treated nets). Another alternative is the use of IRS (interior residual spraying) where the walls and ceilings of our homes are sprayed 3-4 times a year with insecticides. For pregnant women IPTp (intermittent preventive treatment) is the way to go in addition to the measures mentioned above. There are other methods to prevent malaria besides those not mentioned here.
MALARIA TREATMENT
Malaria treatment is usually a 3-day course modality. However, make sure you are treating malaria by performing an RDT or microscopy to determine the presence of the malaria parasite. Any modern health center near you should have these facilities. Get appropriate advice from your doctor on what type of medication you should use, what works for Mr. A might not necessarily work for Mr. B. Most of the medications available at your pharmacy outlets are ACT (based combination therapy). in artemisinin). Severe cases of malaria may require admission with immediate medication/IV (intravenous) drip. Do not throw the tablets under your bed or in the pit latrine as malaria often relapses when not treated properly – this is for those who despise using drugs!