What is malaria

If your doctor suspects you have malaria, he or she will recommend treatment under the National Malaria Elimination Programme (NMEP) programme. This programme seeks to stop people contracting and dying of this disease. The reason that it is so important is because it can cause brain damage in babies and young children if they contract it. This is why it is recommended that any child should be given a mosquito net and treated when they get an infected bite, along with other preventative measures such as not getting out into the sun or swimming. Another reason is that it is a preventable disease; people can avoid being bitten by mosquitoes through taking control measures. This is also because over 500 000 illnesses in Africa are caused by malaria.

Malaria is spread by blood being passed from an infected person through the bloodstream to their body in a process called transmissibility of the parasite (Caldwell & Bell 2000). It can also spread to an infected organ where the parasites live, for example, the brain or kidneys. People may become ill after falling from standing over an infected person on a bed or after an injection. Sometimes it spread from an infected person to another person through contaminated water which in turn leads to spread. An infection of these diseases can lead to death unless the correct care is taken. A good way to combat against this is washing hands regularly. This is because many infected persons don’t know that they are carrying a harmful organism all the time. Washing hands is very important to protect us.

Malaria has been eliminated in most African countries through elimination programmes such as malaria control programs and eradication campaigns that target at-risk groups such as children, pregnant women, and the elderly. These efforts have increased steadily over the last decade with around 800 million cases globally and millions of deaths. Many of the cases in Africa are spread by poor sanitation during childbirth and delivery. In addition, many people do not have access to safe water, either due to lack of awareness or high costs of health services. Thus, there is still plenty of room for improvement. One thing the government could try to improve the situation is reducing the use of household chemical disinfectants like bleach and ammonia. Chemicals used in routine disinfection programmes harm human health; therefore, it’s good to reduce their usage. For some cases, chlorine and lime are the only chemicals that are required to kill parasites because they can irritate the eyes of a victim and the skin of visitors too. However, if we wash our hands appropriately and remove chemical agents, then we will save ourselves from spreading these infections. Also, even people with smallpox and who use hand sanitisers must remove chemical irritants to keep themselves safe. All other symptoms of infection such as fever and rash are caused by parasites which should be treated urgently to prevent them from progressing further. These diseases are treatable; however, it is best to consult a physician if you experience any unusual or severe symptoms.

Reference

Caldwell, M., & Bell, L. R. (eds.). (2000). Children’s malaria. Lancet Revances Health Sciences, 25(3), 246-250. doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(98)00029-X

Malaria Research. (2014). World Malaria Day. Retrieved October 5, 2014, from http://www.who.int/mediacentre/news/releases/world-malaria-day

The United Nations Global Millennium Development Report : Malaria. (2014). The UN Global Millennium Development Report: Malaria. Retrieved October 26, 2014, from http://www.unhcr.org/en/data/global_milestones/en/migrations.html