Since 2008, World Malaria Day has been commemorated with the ultimate goal of eradicating this illness from the planet. Achieving this goal entails a variety of measures, including maintaining long-term efforts to ensure that people all over the world do not suffer when it comes to malaria prevention, diagnosis, and treatment, implementing best practises to care for health care teams working with infected people, and running various campaigns based on various themes to raise awareness about the severity of the problem.
What is malaria and how common is it?
Malaria is a deadly disease carried by an infected mosquito biting a human. Mosquitoes may be infected by tiny parasites. When a mosquito bites, it injects malaria parasites into the victim's circulation.
Malaria is frequent in hot and humid tropical settings. Every year, around 2,000 people in the United States contract malaria. Malaria affects around 220 million people worldwide each year. The vast majority of these occurrences take place in Africa and South Asia. Every year, over 450,000 people are killed by the illness.
Causes of Malaria
Malaria is transmitted when an infected mosquito bites a person. When a mosquito bites someone who has malaria, it becomes infected. The infected mosquito introduces a parasite into the person's circulation, where it multiplies. Humans can be infected by five different kinds of malaria parasites.
In rare situations, malaria-infected pregnant mothers might pass the disease to their infants before or after birth. Malaria can only very rarely be transmitted by blood transfusions, organ donations, and hypodermic needles.
How can we prevent Malaria?
If you reside or travel in a region where malaria is frequent, talk to your doctor about taking malaria treatments. You must take the medications before, during, and after your stay.
Precautions should also be taken to avoid insect bites. To reduce your risks of contracting malaria, you should:
- Take the appropriate anti-malarial medications for the nation you are visiting. Your medical history, age, and any concomitant drugs should all be considered while selecting anti-malarial preventive pills. Prior to departure and upon return from the malaria area, you must take them daily or weekly, depending on the medicine chosen.
- Sleep under an insecticide-treated mosquito net to protect yourself from mosquito bites.
- Socks, long trousers, and long-sleeved shirts and blouses are required.
- DEET mosquito repellent should be sprayed on your clothing and exposed skin.
- To keep mosquitoes out, make sure the room's doors and windows are properly closed and screened with gauze.
- Before entering the room, spray it with pesticide.