How to Prevent Malaria

How to Prevent Malaria

Malaria is an infectious disease caused by a protozoan parasite Plasmodium group, which is transmitted by the bite of the Anopheles mosquito. This type of protozoan parasite lot of spread in the tropics, for example, in America, Asia and Africa.

There are four types of the plasmodium parasites that can either human infection, but that is often found in cases of malaria are Plasmodium falciparum and Plasmodium vivax. Others are Plasmodium ovale and Plasmodium malariae.

Signs and Symptoms of malaria

The period of shoot / incubation period of this disease can be a few days to a few months later then emerging signs and symptoms complained of by the patient such ar fever, chills, rheumatic pain or joint pain, sometimes vomiting, pale / anemis, enlarged liver and spleen, urinary looks cloudy / thick because they contain hemoglobin (Hemoglobinuria), tingling of the skin and having spasms.

However, it was revealed classic signs of feelings of sudden coldness followed by rigor and then fever and sweating emergence after 4 to 6 hours later, it takes place every two days. Among this period, the patient may feel healthy as before. At this age children can cause symptoms of malaria attacks strange, for example, showing the movement / posture as a result of abnormal brain cavity pressure. Even more serious, can cause brain damage.

Classification of Disease Manifestations of Malaria

There are several forms of malaria disease manifestations, such as:

- Tertiana Malaria, caused by Plasmodium vivax, in which patients feel the fever appears every third day.

- Quartana Malaria, caused by Plasmodium malariae, patients feel the fever every fourth day.

- Cerebral Malaria, caused by Plasmodium falciparum, patients experience irregular fever accompanied by symptoms terserangnya part of the brain, coma and even entered a phase of sudden death.

- Pernicious Malaria, caused by Plasmodium vivax, the symptoms can occur very suddenly, like a stroke, coma with severe malaria symptoms.

Enforcing Malaria Diagnosis

With the signs and symptoms complained of and looked after by the medical team, it will be done laboratory tests (especially blood tests) to ascertain the cause and diagnosis to be given to the patient.

Treatment of Malaria

Based on the inspection, either directly from the complaints that arise as well as more focus on results laboratium then the doctor will give you some medicine to patients. Among them is the administration of drugs to lower fever such as paracetamol, vitamins to boost the immune system in an effort to help the healing.

While commonly used antimalarial drugs are Chloroquine, because the price is cheap and so far proven effective as a cure malaria in the world. But there are some patients who are resistant to Chloroquine administration, some doctors will give other antimalarials such Artesunate-Sulfadoxine/pyrimethamine, artesunate-amodiaquine,-piperquine Artesunate, Artemether-lumefantrine, and Dihidroartemisinin-piperquine.

Malaria Prevention

Prevention of malaria can be done by cleaning mosquito nest (PSN), trying to avoid mosquito bites, or prevention with drugs Chloroquine when visiting malaria endemic areas.