Malaria is a serious infectious disease caused by a microbial parasite known as Plasmodium. This parasite infects mosquitoes of the genus Anopheles. The female Anopheles mosquito transmits this disease among humans via mosquito bites. Out of the eleven species of the genus Plasmodium, five are known to cause malaria among human beings. They are Plasmodium falciparum, Plasmodium vivax, Plasmodium ovale, Plasmodium malariae and Plasmodium knowlesi; with the first strain being the most dangerous. The malarial parasites affect the red blood cells of an infected person; resultantly, malaria can also be transmitted through blood transfusion, organ transplant, or the shared use of needles or syringes contaminated with blood. Malaria may also be transmitted from a mother to her unborn child before or during delivery.
Malaria affects about 300 million to 500 million people annually with 90% of the cases being reported in Africa, South and South-Eastern Asia and certain parts of South America. It also leads to over a million casualties every year; most of which take place in sub-Saharan Africa. While malaria is currently curable; the disease becomes more difficult to manage in the later stages and can also lead to serious secondary complications like high fevers, coma and hallucinations. Therefore, it is imperative to recognize the symptoms of Malaria during the initial stages and treat it aggressively. The most common and significant symptoms of malaria are explained below.
1. The main symptoms of relatively milder uncomplicated malaria include recurrent fever (once every 2-3 days), headache, nausea and vomiting, chills, body aches and general weakness.
2. If the malaria is caused due to infection by the Plasmodium falciparum strain; more serious symptoms like mild jaundice, elevated heartbeat and an enlarged spleen are generally observed.
3. Cerebral malaria is caused when RBCs infected by the Plasmodium parasite, block the path of the blood to the brain. This leads to a lack of blood and oxygen supply in many parts of the brain. The major symptoms of cerebral malaria are intracranial pressure, seizures and severe anemia.
If the above mentioned symptoms are ignored or left untreated; the disease progresses leading to serious manifestations like acute kidney failure, Hyperparasitemia, Metabolic acidosis (excessive acidity in the blood and tissue fluids) and even cardiovascular collapse and coma. As a result, it is logical to aggressively treat malaria as soon as it is diagnosed. At the same time, taking measures like using insecticides and repellants to kill mosquitoes, maintaining basic hygiene and cleanliness, clearing mosquito breeding areas etc. go a long way in inhibiting the spread of malaria.
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