World Malaria Day is scheduled on April 25 every year, with the purpose of arousing the attention of countries around the world to malaria and launching prevention and control actions. In May 2007, the 60th World Health Assembly decided to establish World Malaria Day. The theme of World Malaria Day 2023 is“Time to deliver zero malaria: invest, innovate, implement”.
The facts
· 619 000 malaria deaths in 2021
· 247 million new cases of malaria in 2021
· 95% of all malaria cases are in WHO African Region
Malaria is one of the important public health problems of global concern. It is widely prevalent all over the world. According to the statistics of the World Health Organization, there are still 92 countries and regions in high and moderate prevalence. We’ll learn it in the article as follows:
· Athogen
· Symptoms
· Ways for spreading
· Incubation period
· Examination
· Prevention
· Treatments
Pathogen
Malaria,commonly known as playing pendulum, malarial malaria, is a serious and fatal disease caused by parasites of the Plasmodium genus, including Plasmodium falciparum, Plasmodium malariae, Plasmodium ovale, Plasmodium vivax and Plasmodium knowlesi. This disease is common in regions with warm climates, such as tropical and subtropical regions such as Africa, Southeast Asia and South America.
Symptoms
Patients usually have fever, chills, headache, muscle pain and weakness, cough, vomiting, diarrhea and abdominal pain. Complications include anemia, cramps, failure of the circulatory system, organ failure (such as kidney failure), and coma. If not treated early, it can lead to death.
Ways for spreading
Malaria is a disease transmitted by infected female Anopheles mosquitoes, also known as Anopheles mosquitoes. When a female Anopheles mosquito bites a person with malaria, the mosquito becomes infected and spreads the malaria when it bites another person. Malaria does not spread from person to person, but can spread through transfusion of contaminated blood or blood products, organ transplants, or sharing of lancets or syringes. Malaria can also be transmitted from mother to fetus or newborn baby during pregnancy or childbirth.
Incubation period
The incubation period varies with different pathogenic Plasmodium species. Symptoms usually appear 7 to 30 days after being bitten by an infected Anopheles mosquito, but the incubation period can be several months or longer.
Examination
The examination of malaria can be confirmed by 4 methods, as follows:
Microscope: The most commonly used, because Plasmodium parasites live in the red blood cells of the human body, the Plasmodium in the red blood cells can be detected by smearing the peripheral blood of the human body. Therefore, microscopy remains the gold standard advocated by the World Health Organization;
Antigen: check the malaria antigen in the patient's blood, and check the lactate dehydrogenase or alkaline phosphatase of the malaria parasite, which is an important means for early diagnosis of malaria;
Nucleic acid: Use molecular biology methods to detect malaria nucleic acid in the patient's blood or other body fluids. Through the inspection of nucleic acid, not only can it be determined whether malaria is infected, but also the species and load of malaria infecting humans can be determined;
4. Culture method: The culture method can be used in the laboratory. If the first three methods are all negative, the cell culture method can be used, and malaria can also be checked.
Precautions
Control the source of infection, improve the epidemic situation report, and eradicate malaria patients and those with malaria parasites.
Cutting off the transmission route is mainly to eliminate Anopheles mosquitoes and prevent them from being bitten by Anopheles mosquitoes. Eliminate breeding sites of Anopheles larvae and use insecticides. For personal protection, repellent or mosquito nets can be used to avoid being bitten by mosquitoes.
3. Improving the disease resistance of the population.Human beings have good physical fitness and immune resistance.
Vaccination
Malaria vaccines, AIDS vaccines and tuberculosis vaccines have become the three major vaccines that are prioritized worldwide.
RTS,S/AS01 (RTS,S) is the first and, to date, only vaccine that has demonstrated it can significantly reduce malaria in young children living in moderate-to-high malaria transmission areas. It acts against the Plasmodium falciparum parasite, the deadliest malaria parasite globally and the most prevalent in Africa.
In October 2021, WHO recommended the use of the RTS,S vaccine for children living in areas with moderate and high transmission of malaria. The recommendation was informed by the full package of RTS,S evidence, including results from the ongoing pilot programme.
Treatments
Malaria is a treatable disease.
Artemisinin-based combination therapies (ACTs) are the most effective antimalarial medicines available today and the mainstay of recommended treatment for Plasmodium falciparum malaria, the deadliest malaria parasite globally. WHO recommends that treatment should only be administered if a person tests positive for malaria. WHO does not support the promotion or use of Artemisia plant material (whether teas, tablets or capsules) for the prevention or treatment of malaria.
