Malaria

What is Malaria?

Malaria is caused by parasites that are transmitted through the bite of the Anopheles mosquito. It is a life-threatening blood disease, and can be cured, if detected in its early stages. Malaria can cause complications such as swelling of blood vessels in the brain, or cerebral malaria (which can result in breathing problems, failure of the kidney and liver, destruction of red blood cells and coma). The number of malaria cases witnessed a global decline of about 18%, from an estimated 262 million in 2000 to 214 million in 2015. However, the contagious disease hasn’t been contained.

Symptoms

The symptoms of malaria develop within 10 days to 4 weeks after the bite of the mosquito. Common symptoms of this disease might include:

  • High fever.
  • Headaches.
  • Chills.
  • Nausea.
  • Sweating, fatigue, and vomiting.

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Causes

The most probable causes of this disease include:

  • A transplant of an organ.
  • Transfusion.
  • Use of shared needles.

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Risks

The main risk factors of this disease include:

  • Low blood sugar.
  • Swelling of brain blood vessels.
  • Anemia.
  • Failure of liver, spleen, kidneys.
  • Fluid accumulation in lungs.

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Prevention

In order to prevent the occurrence of this disease, one should take care of:

  • Cover your skin properly, while sleeping in a mosquito-prone area.
  • Use bug sprays containing DEET.
  • Go for sunscreens and then for repellants.
  • Use bed-net always.

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How is it diagnosed?

At Medanta, malaria is primarily diagnosed using two methods - clinical and microscopic. Diagnosis can be difficult since the early symptoms of the disease are often mistaken for flu and common vir...

How is it treated?

At Medanta, the doctors prescribe:

..

  • Medications

    Antimalarial medication and artemisinin combined therapy (ACT) as treatment. The dose and type of the drug depends upon a type of factors (type of malaria, age, etc.)

When do I contact the doctor?

You should immediately consult a doctor, when you begin to experience symptoms like headache, high fever, sweating, nausea, chills, and fatigue. All your symptoms will be treated just right with the help of our medical and clinical expertise at Medanta. 

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