Maleria : symptoms , prevention and treatment

Malaria has always been and remains a deadly disease, every year thousands of people contract it by visiting countries located in the tropics and subtropics, so it is worth consulting a doctor before such trips.

For some reason, it always seemed, and continues to seem, that if this attack exists somewhere, then it certainly is not within its native borders. Nevertheless, malaria is much closer and more dangerous than our compatriot, who is not privy to the essence of the problem, can imagine.

Every year, malaria affects 350-500 million people worldwide, of which 1.3-3 million die.

What is malaria and its causes?

Malaria (swamp fever, intermittent fever) is an acute infectious disease that is transmitted from a sick person to a healthy person through the bites of Anopheles mosquitoes, by blood transfusion, from the mother to the fetus during pregnancy.

One bite of an infected mosquito is enough for a portion of sporozoites (spores) of one or another malaria pathogen to enter the human blood or lymph along with its saliva. Next comes the complex life cycle of the malaria pathogen in the human body, the result of which is the manifestation of malaria in humans. At the same time, the blood of a person with malaria becomes dangerous both for its transfusion and the possible infection of new mosquitoes and transmission of the malaria pathogen to the next people.

How does malaria manifest?

There are 4 known forms of malaria — three-day malaria, four-day malaria, tropical and oval malaria (depending on the type of malaria causing the disease) and the frequency of malaria attacks. The most dangerous is tropical malaria, which, if you see a doctor late, can lead to very serious complications and even death.

The incubation period (from the moment of the bite to the first signs of the disease) - in tropical malaria from 7 to 30 days, in other forms up to 14 months. After this, acute attacks of fever appear (primary attack), which are replaced by a febrile period. The number of attacks in primary malaria reaches 8-12. Then, in some cases, recovery occurs, but more often the disease recurs. A malarial attack consists of two phases — chills and sweating. The chill phase can last from several minutes to several hours, the body temperature during this period reaches 39-40 ° C and above, the patient is pale with a tinge of cyanosis, his skin is cold, covered with pimples ("goose"). Disturbed by a very severe headache, increasing muscle pain, vomiting, thirst, sometimes dullness and delirium. The growing heat causes a sharp redness of the skin of the face, strong heartbeat. After the end of this phase

there is a sharp sweating, while the body temperature drops below normal. The patient's condition improves, only weakness remains. After a while, the attacks are repeated.

Immunity after malaria is formed slowly and almost does not protect against re-infection, although with re-infection, the disease is not so difficult.

Malaria diagnosis

Diagnosis is based on typical signs and laboratory findings. In the blood of patients, malaria plasmodia are detected.

Prevention of malaria

There are currently no vaccines for malaria. The main preventive measure is protection from mosquito bites. Therefore, the fight against malaria requires the active participation of everyone.

It is necessary to ensure that open water does not stagnate near the house, to protect your home by netting door and window openings with mosquito nets, preferably with a special repellent impregnation (chemicals that repel mosquitoes).

In areas dangerous for malaria (southern regions) in the dark it is better to be dressed and shod in the light. Clothes should be loose with long sleeves, instead of shorts, trousers, instead of sandals, sneakers with socks.

The following repellents are used to protect against mosquitoes: Komarex, Biban, DEFI-plus, Evital, Taiga, Defisol, Arodet, Komarant, Defisol-2 and others.

For the treatment of the interior, electrofumigators, mosquito coils, and aerosols are used.

Folk remedies that repel mosquitoes: the smells of cloves, eucalyptus, basil, anise, are used in the form of oils for application to the skin or a drop of oil on a fire source (in a fireplace, stove, fire, frying pan). Alternatively, you can use bunches of chamomile, which will repel mosquitoes for 5-7 days. In a tablespoon of any cologne, you can add 8-10 drops of the indicated oils and wipe open areas of the body.

To relieve itching after mosquito bites, you can use mashed leaves of bird cherry, mint, parsley, plantain, a clove of garlic, dandelion juice, green onions, soda solution (1 teaspoon of baking soda or ammonia per glass of water), Vietnamese balsam "Zvezdochka".

You need to know:

Everyone traveling to countries with a tropical and subtropical climate must consult with a local doctor about the danger of contracting malaria, the need to take antimalarial drugs and the absence of contraindications to this group of drugs. The use of drugs should be started one to two weeks before the onset of the possibility of infection, continue the entire period of risk and 4 weeks after its termination.

In case of malaria, all doctor's prescriptions must be followed. In no case should

interrupt treatment as soon as you feel better. Correct malaria treatment will lead to complete recovery. It must be remembered that during your stay in a country with malaria problems and within 3 years after returning to your homeland, with any temperature rise, you should immediately contact a medical institution and inform the doctor that you were in the "tropics" and be examined for malaria.

 

Your health is in your hands!