What You Should Know About Malaria

Malaria is an infectious disease spread by mosquitoes that affect both humans and animals. Fever, exhaustion, vomiting, and headaches are some of the most common symptoms of malaria. It can lead to yellow skin, seizures, coma, and death in severe cases.

After being bitten by an infected mosquito, the symptoms usually appear ten to fifteen days later. People who are not appropriately treated may get recurrences of the condition months later. Reinfection usually causes milder symptoms in persons who have recently recovered from an infection. If the person is not exposed to malaria for months or years, the partial resistance fades.

Malaria is caused by Plasmodium single-celled bacteria. An infected female Anopheles mosquito is the most common vector of the disease. The parasites in the mosquito's saliva enter a person's bloodstream through a mosquito bite.

There are five types of malaria:

Plasmodium falciparum (or P. falciparum)

Plasmodium malariae (or P. malariae)

Plasmodium vivax (or P. vivax)

Plasmodium ovale (or P. ovale)

Plasmodium knowlesi (or P. knowlesi)

Malaria has been treated for thousands of years using traditional herbal treatments. Cinchona tree bark was the first therapeutic cure for malaria. Both early diagnosis and treatment of malaria are critical for speedy and efficient case management. Artemisinin-based combination therapy is the best current treatment, especially for P. falciparum malaria (ACT). Because of its quick onset of action, artemether-lumefantrine (CoartemTM) is the chosen antimalarial for interim oral treatment. Atovaquone-proguanil (MalaroneTM), quinine, and mefloquine are among other oral alternatives.

A few traditional herbs used to treat malaria include: Cashewnut tree, Lemongrass, Banana, Garlic, Bitterleaf, African star fruit

Mosquitoes can be avoided by closing doors and windows in the night to prevent mosquitoes from entering human residences, applying insect repellent lotions, creams, mats, or coils, and utilizing bednets on a regular basis. One of the safest ways to prevent and control malaria is to use bed nets.