Plasmodium is the parasite that causes malaria; it is transmitted from one person to another through the bites of infected female Anopheles mosquitoes. Once infected, these parasites travel through the blood to the liver, where they mature and multiply. They then infect the red blood cells causing them to break open, releasing haemoglobin. This loss of haemoglobin leads to anaemia.

1. Malaria

2. Malaria
About half of the world’s population is in danger of malaria, states WHO. A parasitic
disease transmitted by mosquitoes, malaria causes more than 6, 60,000 deaths every
year.
Causes
Plasmodium is the parasite that causes malaria; it is transmitted from one person to
another through the bites of infected female Anopheles mosquitoes. Once infected,
these parasites travel through the blood to the liver, where they mature and multiply.
They then infect the red blood cells causing them to break open, releasing haemoglobin.
This loss of haemoglobin leads to anaemia.
Signs and Symptoms
It takes about ten days to four weeks for the symptoms of the disease to appear after
infection. The time period from infection to appearance of symptoms varies depending
on the type of the parasite that causes infection. Commonly noted signs and symptoms
are:
 Chills and fever
 Sweating
 Headache and muscle pain
 Nausea and vomiting
Most of these are mild and common symptoms that could be confused with other
infectious illnesses. Therefore, all suspected cases of malaria need to be diagnosed and
confirmed for giving adequate medical treatment.
Treatment
If you notice the above given symptoms, immediately consult our doctors at Apollo
Clinics. If adequate healthcare is provided in time, malaria is a completely treatable
disease. Timely medical intervention can not only curb the deaths due to malaria, but
also prevent further spread of the disease.
 A complete blood count test is done to confirm anaemia. An enlarged spleen or
liver should also alert the doctor about the illness.
 Once diagnosed with malaria, the patient requires to be hospitalised and is
mainly treated using anti-malarial drugs such as Chloroquine and Sulfadoxine-
pyrimethamine. There have been reports of Anopheles mosquitoes becoming
resistant to the various drugs generally prescribed. Therefore, doctors give a
combination of drugs to curb the illness.
 The treatment and the type of drugs prescribed depend on the age of the person,
severity of the illness and also the type of parasite.
 In severe cases, where the patient is suffering from respiratory problems,
breathing support may be given along with medication.
 Also, if the patients are too weak to eat food on their own, then fluids may be
given intravenously.

3. Prevention
 As malaria is a vector-borne disease, the first step in prevention is to ensure that
mosquitoes don’t breed in your surrounding areas. Simple measures such as
ensuring there are no stagnant water bodies around your house and/or spraying
insecticide to prevent mosquito breeding could help.
 Use bed nets or nets to cover the windows to prevent mosquitoes from entering
your house.
 Minimise venturing out in the night, and if you have to, wear clothes with long
sleeves and long pants to ensure very little of the body surface is exposed to
mosquitoes.
There are no licensed vaccines that can prevent malaria. However, scientists are
working on developing vaccine to curb this menace.

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