Malaria is caused by a mosquito bite

 

By Bilke Mulenga

 

MALARIA is a life-threatening disease spread to humans by some types of mosquitoes. This disease is commonly found in tropical countries. However, malaria is preventable and curable.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the infection is caused by a parasite and does not spread from person to person unless through a mosquito bite.

Malaria symptoms can be mild or life-threatening. Mild symptoms are fever, chills and headache. Severe symptoms include fatigue, confusion, seizures, and difficulty in breathing.

The renowned global health organization states that: “Infants, children under 5 years, pregnant women, travellers and people with HIV or AIDS are at higher risk of severe infection.”

Malaria can be prevented by avoiding mosquito bites and with medicines. Treatments can stop mild cases from getting worse.

‘’Malaria mostly spreads to people through the bites of some infected female Anopheles mosquitoes. Blood transfusion and contaminated needles may also transmit malaria.’’

It is common that the first symptoms may be mild, similar to many febrile illnesses, and difficulty to recognize as malaria.

Sad news is that if left untreated, falciparum malaria can progress to severe illness and death within 24 hours.

The most important thing to note is that the common early symptoms of malaria are fever, headache and chills.

Medical personnel indicate that symptoms usually start within 10–15 days of getting bitten by an infected mosquito.

Symptoms may be mild for some people, especially for those who have had a malaria infection before, because some malaria symptoms are not specific, getting tested early is important.

Severe symptoms include: extreme tiredness and fatigue, impaired consciousness, multiple convulsions, difficulty in breathing and dark or bloody urine among others.

People with severe symptoms should get emergency care right away. Getting treatment early for mild malaria can stop the infection from becoming severe.

Malaria infection during pregnancy can also cause premature delivery or delivery of a baby with low birth weight.

According to the latest WHO report on malaria, there were 249 million cases of malaria in 2022 compared to 244 million cases in 2021. The estimated number of malaria deaths stood at 608 000 in 2022 compared to 610 000 in 2021.