ProWritersHub Contest - Week 3 | Topic 5: Malaria - The Cause, Effects and How to Protect Yourself from It.

Malaria, also known as uto-eyen by the Ibibios, is currently the first and most common diagnosed disease in Nigeria before typhoid. It is a life-threatening mosquito-borne blood disease in which a protozoan, Plasmodium, multiplies in blood every few days. The rate of people infected with plasmodium seems to increase every year due to the humid climate condition. It intensifies during the rainy season which falls between April – October.

_{Image of mosquito from Pexels}

This human disease caused by sporozoan parasites (genus Plasmodium) in the red blood cells, is transmitted by the bite of an infected anopheline mosquito 🦟. So let's say a certain proud female anopheles mosquito bites @ukpono who is currently having malaria, then later at night, it flies to @usene's house and bits him when it notices that he has refused to sleep under a mosquito net. What happens is that the infected anopheline mosquito immediately transfers the parasite to its new host. At that moment when @usene is making plans to paint his wall with the mosquito's virgin blood, the parasite must have begun to trek to the host's liver. When the parasites mature, they begin to enter the bloodstream and destroy the red blood cells.

Malaria symptoms are categorized into two stages — uncomplicated and severe. In uncomplicated malaria, the infected person has flu-like symptoms such as fever, vomiting, anaemia, fatigue, chills and headache, but with no sign of severe infection or dysfunctional viral organs. On the other hand, severe malaria occurs when the infection affects vital organs. Symptoms may include severe anaemia, behavioural changes, blood in the urine, seizures, high acidity in the blood and body fluids, changes in blood clotting, impaired consciousness, coma etc.

In worst cases, the parasite might result in death.

How Malaria is Diagnosed

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Blood sample image from Pexels

The lab scientist takes a patient's blood sample, carries out the test with the necessary reagents then writes out the results.

Treatment
The patient takes the laboratory test to a doctor who recommends the right medication and dose based on the type of malaria started in the result. Some common drugs include:

• hydroxychloroquine
• chloroquine
• Arthemeter and Lumefantine
• Artesunate

It can also be treated traditional through the use of herbs.

Image of a woman disinfecting a chair from Pexels

To curtail the spread of malaria parasite infection, it is advisable to keep the environment clean at all times. This involves fumigating the gutters and cleaning them out to encourage a free flow of water since mosquito breeds in stagnant water. Also, it is necessary to clear out bushes around residential areas or workplaces.

Other practical steps include:

• Wearing long sleeves and trousers.
• Sleeping under a treated mosquito net.
• Using mosquito repellents like mosquito coil, insecticides etc.
• Planting mosquito repellent herbs around the house.

If anyone observed any of these symptoms, it is advisable to meet a doctor so the necessary tests can be run before prescribing the right drugs.

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