Malaria is a serious illness caused by certain mosquitoes found in mild climates such as parts of Africa and South America. The disease can also be transferred from mother to baby during birth as well as by faulty blood transfusions. Medications can be taken to treat the illness before traveling to affected areas, and the disease is treatable. Unfortunately, people in impoverished countries often die of the disease because they do not have the proper treatments.
The Parasite Malaria
Malaria is a parasite that is carried by mosquitoes. The parasite travels to the liver where to turns into its more deadly form, merozoites. After that it enters the bloodstream in the red blood cells where it divides rapidly and takes over the body.
Post Malaria Problems
If the body fights the first symptoms of the disease--vomiting, fever, bloody stools, nausea and convulsing--without dying, there are also return symptoms once the initial disease has been cured. These include meningitis, liver failure, reduction in red blood cells, kidney failure or death.
The Malaria World View
In tropical countries as many as 500 million cases of malaria are reported each year, and of those nearly of one fifth die because the costs are too high to treat them. Falciparum malaria is the form of the disease that kills the most people. If you are considering traveling to foreign nations, it is important to look at a map that shows the affected malaria areas in order to decide whether or not it is necessary to take preventative medications like Chloroquine.
Disease Testing
Blood tests are available to screen for the disease, but the most obvious symptoms for a patient are an enlarged spleen or liver.
Cautions
If you develop a fever after traveling to affected tropical destinations, see your doctor immediately. If infected, patients are immediately hospitalized and given antimalarial medications to stop the parasite from taking over the red blood cells.
Tags: blood cells, Post Malaria, traveling affected