Tertian Malaria The Fever example essay topic

THE CAUSES OF MALARIA Malaria is an infection by parasites which is spread by mosquito bites. The parasites are one cell animals which spend their live in the red blood cells of humans, and part in female anopheles mosquitos. The parasites are called protozoal's of the species of plasmodia. It is most wide spread in the malaria belt which includes Mexico, Haiti, The Dominican Republic, Honduras, Ecuador, Africa, India, Southeast Asia and the Philippines. Malaria can also be infected by blood transfusions, infected donors and among drug users who share needles with infected people. How Malaria is spread 1.

An anopheles that is infected with malaria ca- using parasites known as plasmodia transmits the parasites in its saliva when it bites a human. 2. once in the human body, the immature plasmodia circulate through the blo- od stream and 3. invade the red blood cells. Here the plasmodia mature and multiply. 4. As the cells break apart, 5. so- me of the parasites inv- ade still other red blood cells, and 6. some dev- e lop into mosquito-info- eating forms.

7. After a healthy mosquito bites an infected human, the cycle begins all over again. THE SYMPTOMS OF MALARIA The symptoms of malaria begin one or two weeks after being infected. The symptom start with an intense attack of a shaking chill. The patient gets a fever and their temperature rises to abou 40 C. The fever is accompanied with server headaches. After many hours the patient starts sweating a lot.

The headache then disappears and the temperature goes back to normal. During the early stages of infection the attack may occur every day, but within a few days you will notice a pattern because there are three types of malaria, falciparum, tertian and the quart a malaria. If the attacks occur at irregular intervals it is the falciparum malaria (the most dangerous). If the attacks occur every 48 hours (2 days) the disease is called tertian malaria.

If the attack occur every 72 hours (3 days) the disease is called quartan malaria. The most common type is the tertian malaria the fever often occurs every day. Although the tertian malaria is quite mild but it causes chronic illness, they often have relapses. HOW MALARIA IS TREATED To treat malaria the aim is to distroy the parasites while they are in the patient's red blood cell. This is done by using a drug called chloroquine, this drug interferes with the developement of the parasite, people infected with the viva x parasite may have prolonged liver infections, and they should also take the drug prima quine.

In some parts of the world one of the malaria disease have become resistant to treatment with chloroquine. The patients of that area are treated with a mixture of three drugs, pyrimethamine, quinine and a sulfa drug. THE PREVENTION OF MALARIA The World Health Organization (WHO) has a massive malaria control program, as the disease is difficult to control. Some mosquitos have become resistant to insecticides and drugs. Some methods of killing the mosquitos is by destroying the breading places. This can be done by spraying the swamp with chemicals that distroy the larvae, or the swamp could be drained Before traveling overseas travelers can take vacsonations as a preventative, it lasts for six week.

When staying in a malaria infected country always use replant and a mosquito net when sleeping, it will lessen the chances of being bitten.