Malaria: Signs, Symptoms, and Methods of Treatment

Malaria

Malaria is an infectious disease that affects both the human as well as a selected species of animals (Wiese, 2012). Likewise, it is caused by a plasmodium parasite through the bite of a mosquito known as the Anopheles gambiae. However, it is important to note that there is a range of different Plasmodium parasite but only five Plasmodium parasites have been proven to cause malaria. These are; Plasmodium falciparum (common in Africa), Plasmodium vivax (common in South America as well as Asia), Plasmodium ovale (western Africa), Plasmodium malariae (common in Africa) as well as the Plasmodium knowlesi (common southern Asia). Once a person is bitten by a plasmodium carrying mosquito, the parasite travels to the liver and later resumes to the bloodstream (White, 2011). Here the Plasmodium parasite invades the red blood cells and lays its eggs. After a period of 48-72 hours, the red blood cells will usually burst to and release multiple parasites into the blood stream. Notably, every time the red blood cells burst they simultaneously cause fever, sweating and chills to the infected person.

Signs and Symptoms of Malaria

In the early stages of malaria, many people even physicians mistake malaria for flu. It is therefore important to know that malaria has flu-related symptoms in the early stages. Also, a person may have less severe symptoms or no symptom this depends on the person if somewhat he or she is immune to malaria. Malaria symptoms can likewise appear within or after seven days. However, this period may last depending with the plasmodium parasite in play. This period may last from 8 to 10 months if P-vivax or P-ovale is the cause. Notably, an infected person may complain of fever, headache, sweats, fatigue nausea and vomiting and lastly chills (Armstrong, 2014). These symptoms reveal themselves in cycles usually varies with the specific parasite in play.

Malaria diagnosis

Accurate as well as a prompt diagnosis is vital to the effective control and management of malaria. The first diagnosis will involve identification of the particular parasite in the patient's bloodstream. It does not end with identification. For a well and effective malaria diagnosis, the particular team or specialist must subject the matter to different aspects. For instance, he or she must understand the different malaria species, the involved different stages in erythrocytic schizogony, the correlations between the levels of infection, population development, immunity, drug resistance malaria, and so on ("Malaria Parasite Diagnosis using Fuzzy Logic", 2016). Notably, malaria is a medical emergency and should be treated appropriately delays in treatment will usually cause deaths.

Treatment of Malaria

It is important to note that malaria is curable and preventable. Similarly, the goal of treatment is to totally eliminate the Plasmodium parasite from the blood cells of the infected patient so as to stop the continuation of malaria to complicated malaria or even to a fatal position that is death. According to the views of health physicians and public health operatives, malaria treatment is to drag malaria infection or stop the infection of malaria to others. There are several remedies that are known to have treatment to malaria. These are; the Artemether-lumefantrine, Artesunate-amodiaquine, chloroquine and many other malaria medications available. However, the option of drug depends entirely from the Plasmodium in play. On the other hand, to prevent malaria a person is advised to see a doctor if he or she is breastfeeding, planning to travel to malaria infested regions. Also, people are advised to use mosquito repellents or a mosquito net during the night.

Prognosis of Malaria

Normally a person is advised to see a doctor in the early stages of malaria if not malaria can lead to serious complications like the development of both the P falciparum and P vivax induce anemia leading to even death.