Malaria: Causes, Symptoms & Natural Ways of Treatment
Malaria has been assigned different assumptions and postulates that can generate to a stage that it becomes a fatal condition. Although most people don’t believe that malaria can kill and this allows them to keep a deaf ear or refuse to take it serious whenever they are victims.
Also, even when the government and other health organizations provide means of preventing it such as sharing of mosquito net, giving vaccines, immunization and so on, they tend to ignore.
Malarial infection is caused by the bite from a female anopheles mosquito. During the bite, the parasite called plasmodium is released into the blood stream. This parasites travels to the liver which aid its maturity after the maturity is developed, the parasite enters through the blood stream causing infection to the red blood cells.
Most uninfected mosquitoes get infected by the malarial parasite when it gets in contact with and infected person and sucks the infected blood thus rendering it vulnerable to spreading the infection.
After some time usually within 48 to 72 hours, the parasites that enters the red blood cells starts to duplicate itself thereby causing a burst to the cells that have been infected.
The parasites continue to infect the red blood cells resulting in various cyclic symptoms which can last within a period of two to three days.
The Plasmodium species is typically the plasmodium falciparum. It is a unicellular protozoan parasite and in fact the deadliest species of Plasmodium. Malaria cases of about 50% is caused by falciparum. The infection caused by this parasite is called falciparum malaria.
Statistics Report
Statistics has shown that the falciparum malaria causes about 1,000,000 (one million) dead cases yearly.
This deadly parasite goes as far as causing the rise of blood cancer which is scientifically known as Burkittts lymphoma and classified under the Group 2A carcinogen.
This infection is dominant in tropical regions where there is dampness and vegetation which supports lives of the parasites.
Moreover, statistics have shown that in 2016 there were over 216,000,000 (two hundred and sixteen million) cases of malaria recorded in 91 (ninety one) countries. The United State records about 1,700 (one thousand seven hundred) cases annually.
In Nigeria cases of more than 1,500,000 (one million, five hundred thousand) are recorded annually.
91% of malarial death case in Africa is caused by the Plasmodium falciparum
The malaria parasite carries various symptoms which some are unpredictable to be malaria. In this case one has to be aware of his environment to push away the possible factors that bring about the infection
Various complications concerning malaria are;
- Failure of the body organs such as kidney and liver.
- Malaria can lead to cerebral malaria, this happens when the blood which has been filled with the parasite causes a blockage to the small blood vessel connecting to the brain. It will cause the brain to swell or it can even go as far as damaging the brain.
- It is one of the causes of low sugar level in the blood. Very low level of blood sugar is very fatal.
- Malarial parasites causing accumulated fluids in the lungs can result in breathing problems. The process where fluids are stocked in the lungs is called pulmonary edema.
- The malarial parasites having entered the red blood cells can cause damage to it thereby resulting in anemia
What are the Causes of Malaria
From the preamble above one can suggest the primary cause of malaria.
The causes include;
- Bites from a plasmodium infected mosquito
- Mother to child transmission
- Transplant of infected body organ
- Transfusion of infected blood
- Sharing infected sharp objects as well as cutting tools and equipment such as syringe, needles, pins, razor, and clipper.
- Drinking dirty water or living within stagnant water region.
- Living close to bushes
Various Symptoms of Malaria
The following signs will signify the availability of malaria
- Shaking cheeks which tend to be increasing overtime
- Fever
- Abdominal pains
- Muscle pains
- Diarrhea
- It causes less or severe headache
- Results in anemia
- It makes a patient stool (sheet) to be combined with blood
- Brings about convulsion
- It puts one into coma
- Profuse sweating
At the early stage, the following signs can be observed
- Rise in body temperature of about 38 degree Celsius and above
- Hot body and shivering
- Constant vomiting
- Having feelings of an impending sickness
Ways of Preventing Mosquito Attack; Reducing the Rate of Malaria
It is known fact that prevention is always better than cure. That means before thinking of how to cure malaria first of all look around your environment to see how you can put off the malaria causing factors. This is to keep the environment devoid of malaria parasitic organisms (mosquito). Among the methods to prevent include:
- Drain all stagnant water surrounding your environment, this will not give room for mosquito to have a breeding place around you.
- Clear all nearby bushes round your vicinity
- Spread oils around stagnant water
- Make use of medicated mosquito nets while sleeping
How to Treat Malaria Medically
The infected patient should visit the doctor to diagnose the type of malaria that he is suffering from and prescribe suitable medications.
Making use of quinine will help the red blood cells not to malfunction as a result of the parasite.
Some drugs to be taken when one suffers from malaria include: amatem, astersunate, lumarthem, laridox etc.
Natural Ways of Treating Malaria
- Use of ginger to prepare a boiled concoction. This helps to boost the immune system thereby reducing the risk of the infection
- Use of grape fruits either by boiling it into concoction or licking it or putting into foods. it can help to replace quinine
- The use of cinnamon helps to reduce the painful symptoms of malaria
- Use of citrus fruits which contains vitamins in treating malaria. This is done by the use of lime and lemon.
Squeeze the water from the lime fruit and mix with squeezed lemon in a glass cup.
- Use of fever nuts (mostly found in countries like India) can help stop the fever and boost the immune system.
Other natural ways of treatment include
- Use of Holy Basil
- Orange juice
- Warm water enema or paw-paw leave enema
- Use of natural diets with some elements of bitterness.