The history of malaria is almost as long as human history. Malaria has a very long history of epidemic in the mainland, with malaria being recorded as early as 3,000 years ago. Malaria, like most epidemics, has a profound impact on human health and social development, and remains a common and life-threatening disease in many tropical and subtropical regions. So do you really know about malaria? Let's talk about it.
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What is malaria?
Malaria, commonly known as "cold and fever disease", "pendulum", "malaria", is caused by malaria parasite infection and transmitted through female Anopheles mosquito bites or blood transfusions, and is a preventable and curable blood parasitic disease. There are five kinds of human Plasmodium falciparum, Plasmodium vivax, Plasmodium malariae, Plasmodium ovale, and Plasmodium knowlesi, which can parasitize human liver cells and red blood cells. The malaria parasite never picks people, regardless of gender, age, and race, and is susceptible, especially in people with low immunity, such as children, pregnant women, etc.
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Clinical manifestations after malaria infection
The typical clinical manifestations of malaria are chills, fever, sweating and other symptoms, which occur periodically. Its early symptoms are very similar to influenza, so most people tend to mistake malaria for a cold, and do not pay close attention to it and do not receive timely medical treatment, which makes the condition gradually worsen and even life-threatening. Let's find out what is the difference between the two?
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Travel to these areas requires a high degree of vigilance
At present, malaria is mainly endemic in Southeast Asia, Africa, Latin America, Oceania and other regions, among which Africa and Southeast Asia are highly predecided. It should be noted that in recent years, cases of malaria have been reported in popular tourist countries such as Thailand, Cambodia, Indonesia, Vietnam, and Brazil.
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How to prevent it?
(1) Health education and health promotion. Do a good job in publicity and education, and keep abreast of the malaria epidemic situation in the destination country before leaving the country, improve the malaria prevention awareness of travelers, master the knowledge of malaria protection, and make protective preparations.
(2) Media control. In malaria-endemic countries and regions, outdoor activities should be avoided as much as possible, and long-sleeved shirts and trousers should be worn during outdoor activities, mosquito repellent should be applied in time to prevent bites, and mosquito nets, mosquito coils and other mosquito prevention measures should be used during night rest.
(3) If you feel unwell, seek medical attention in time. When traveling or working in malaria-endemic countries and regions, once there are uncomfortable symptoms such as chills, fever, sweating, headache, and aches, you should suspect that you are infected with malaria, and seek medical attention in time, and take the initiative to inform your personal travel history when seeking medical treatment.
Source: National Bureau of Disease Control and Prevention