Knowing The Malaria Mosquito
Malaria caused by Plasmodium falciparum is life-threatening. Infants, the elderly, and those with lower levels of immunity are at greater risk.
If you experience symptoms of malaria, seek prompt medical treatment, even if you took all precautions against mosquito bites and used anti-malarial medications.
Knowing the malaria mosquito
Enlargement of the liver (hepatomegaly) and spleen (splenomegaly) may be found during a physical examination.
Malaria is usually diagnosed with a blood test that screens for the presence of malaria parasites.
Treatment of malaria
Treatment consists of anti-malarial medications.
The particular medication used depends on the species of parasite and any associated medication resistance. In most cases, urgent hospital assessment and management are indicated.
When in malarial areas, suggested precautions against mosquito bites include:
- Wear loose, long, light-colored clothing
- Don’t wear perfumes, colognes, or aftershave
- Use mosquito repellents on exposed skin and clothing
- Avoid outdoor activity around dusk and dawn when mosquitoes are most active
- Use ‘knockdown’ sprays, mosquito coils, and plug-in vaporizing devices indoors
- Sleep under mosquito nets treated with repellents or insecticides if windows don’t have flyscreens
Symptoms include:
- Nausea
- Chills
- Diarrhea
- Shivering
- Headache
- Excessive sweating
- Generally feeling unwell
- Anemia and associated symptoms
- A slow-rising fever that escalates to a rapid temperature rise and fall
Pregnant women are at risk
Pregnant women are advised to avoid malarial areas. While it is relatively rare for malaria to pass from infected mothers to unborn children, the disease increases the risk of miscarriage or premature labor. Fetal development may also be affected. Treatment options for malaria in pregnant women are limited.
Modes of transmission and incubation
Malarial parasites are carried by the female anopheles mosquito, which tends to be active at dusk and early evening. When an infected mosquito bites a human, the parasites roam in the bloodstream for around one hour before entering the liver and multiplying.
After six to 16 days (depending on the species), the parasites return to the bloodstream to invade and multiply inside red blood cells until they burst. The released parasites then invade fresh red blood cells and the destruction continues.
