World Malaria Day is celebrated annually on 25 April, a special day that reminds us that malaria remains one of the major public health challenges facing the world, despite being effectively controlled under today's medical conditions. In this episode, let's talk about related topics.
Online big doctor: Hu Yuekai
Department of Infectious Diseases, Fujian Hospital, Huashan Hospital
Deputy Director of Administration and Deputy Chief Physician
Topic of this issue: World Malaria Day
What is malaria
Malaria is an acute febrile illness caused by the Plasmodium parasite. Malaria can be transmitted by mosquitoes that bite a sick person with malaria or a person with Plasmodium. In addition, malaria can be transmitted by blood transfusion (transfusion of blood with Plasmodium) or from mother to child. The population is generally susceptible to malaria, especially children and pregnant women.
The main symptoms of malaria
The typical symptoms of malaria are periodic chills, fever, and sweating. In addition, patients often feel weak, tired, do not want to eat, dizziness, back and limb soreness, and in severe cases, it may even be life-threatening.
How malaria is prevented
The most effective way to prevent malaria is to prevent mosquito bites. Try to avoid outdoor activities during the peak period of Anopheles mosquito activity (dusk and night), wear long-sleeved shirts and long pants if you must work outdoors, apply repellent to exposed skin areas to prevent mosquito bites, spray insecticides or light mosquito coils in the bedroom before going to bed, use mosquito nets when sleeping, and install screen doors and window screens in houses.
Africa and Southeast Asia are highly endemic areas of malaria, and before going abroad, they should learn about the prevalence of malaria at their destination, and if they have symptoms such as fever, chills, and headache after returning home, they should seek medical attention in a timely manner and take the initiative to inform them of their travel history.
What to do if you suspect you have malaria
If you have recently traveled to a malaria-endemic area such as Africa or South-East Asia, the possibility of malaria should be considered when fever develops. Patients who have had malaria in the past should be considered for re-ignition or recurrence when they develop fever of unknown origin.
When the above situation occurs, go to a regular hospital for medical treatment in time and take the initiative to inform the doctor, all district-level hospitals have the ability to diagnose and detect malaria. Once malaria is diagnosed, the CDC provides free malaria treatment with a doctor's prescription. Malaria patients should take antimalarial drugs according to the doctor's instructions throughout the course and in a standardized manner.
Can malaria be cured
Malaria is a preventable and treatable disease, and early diagnosis and standardized treatment will shorten the duration of the disease and avoid death; However, if the treatment is not standardized, there is a possibility of recurrence, and if the treatment is not timely, it may be life-threatening due to the delay of the disease.
Disclaimer
This article aims to popularize health science, to help you understand diseases and medications, the content of popular science can not replace the doctor's diagnosis and treatment opinions, for reference only, if you have related health problems, please consult a doctor in time.
Introduced by the doctor
Hu Yuekai
Doctor of Medicine, Deputy Chief Physician of the Department of Infectious Diseases, Huashan Hospital, Fudan University, Deputy Director of the Department of Infectious Diseases, Fujian Hospital, Huashan Hospital, and Member of the Fujian Provincial Quality Control Center for Infectious Diseases. Diagnosis and treatment expertise: fever of unknown cause, various difficult infectious diseases (bacteria, fungi, parasites), etc., has won the second prize of Shanghai Science and Technology Progress Award, participated in the compilation of 11 books of "Weng Xinhua's Selected Cases of Difficult Infectious Diseases and Fever and Clinical Thinking", and participated in the compilation of "Interpretation of Hepatitis B" and "Coronavirus Disease 2019 - From Basic to Clinical".