World Malaria Day – Ready to Beat Malaria

World Malaria Day, a yearly recognition hung on April 25 to bring issues to light of the worldwide exertion to control and at last kill malaria. World Malaria Day, which was first held in 2008, created from Africa Malaria Day, an occasion that had been seen since 2001 by African governments. The recognition filled in as an opportunity to evaluate advance toward objectives went for controlling malaria and lessening its mortality in African nations. In 2007, at the 60th session of the World Health Assembly (a gathering supported by the World Health Organization [WHO]), it was suggested that Africa Malaria Day be changed to World Malaria Day to perceive the presence of malaria in nations worldwide and to carry more noteworthy attention to the worldwide battle against the illness.

Signs and Symptoms of Malaria

Malaria has many symptoms. If you get infected by mosquitoes, it takes 7 to 15 days before symptoms start. There are different types of symptoms of malaria:

Uncomplicated malaria

The most common symptoms are

• Fever
  
• Headaches
  
• Nausea
  
• Vomiting
  
• General weakness and body pain.
  

The classic description of a malaria attack (which is rarely observed), would be a six- to 12-hour period of cold and shivering alternating with fever and headaches and then a stage of sweating and tiredness (sometimes divided into the cold and hot stage).

As these symptoms are very nonspecific, it is important to evaluate if the patient has risk factors for malaria (usual travel in endemic areas).

Complicated or severe malaria

This occurs when different body systems are affected by malaria.

• Severe anemia (due to destruction of red blood cells)
  
• Kidney failure
  
• Cerebral malaria — seizures, unconsciousness, abnormal behavior, or confusion
  
• Cardiovascular collapse
  
• Low blood sugar (in pregnant women after treatment with quinine)
  

Life-threatening complications of malaria

Malaria can cause a number of life-threatening complications. The following may occur:

• swelling of the blood vessels of the brain, or cerebral malaria
  
• an accumulation of fluid in the lungs that causes breathing problems, or pulmonary edema
  
• organ failure of the kidneys, liver, or spleen
  
• anemia due to the destruction of red blood cells
  
• low blood sugar
  

What causes malaria?

Malaria happens when a bite from the female Anopheles mosquito infects the body with Plasmodium. Only the Anopheles mosquito can transmit malaria.

The successful development of the parasite within the mosquito depends on several factors, the most important being humidity and ambient temperatures.

When an infected mosquito bites a human host, the parasite enters the bloodstream and lays dormant within the liver.

The host will have no symptoms for an average of 10.5 days, but the malaria parasite will begin multiplying during this time.

The new malaria parasites are then released back into the bloodstream, where they infect red blood cells and multiply further. Some malaria parasites remain in the liver and are not released until later, resulting in recurrence.

An unaffected mosquito becomes infected once it feeds on an infected individual. This restarts the cycle.

What specialists treat malaria?

Malaria can be treated by your primary care doctor (pediatrician, family medicine, internal medicine), as well as by infectious-disease specialists.

Preparing for your appointment

If you suspect you have malaria or that you’ve been exposed, you’re likely to start by seeing your family doctor. However, in some cases when you call to set up an appointment, you may be referred to an infectious disease specialist.

What you can do?

Before your appointment, you might want to write a list that answers the following questions:

• What are your symptoms, and when did they start?
• Have you recently traveled to or moved from a region in which malaria is common?
• Have you ever had malaria before?
• What types of medications and supplements do you take?

During the physical exam, your doctor may check your spleen and neurological functions, as well as look for other causes of fever.