Malaria Awareness Day 2024 is on Thursday, April 25, 2024: did you see bush dance at the Malaria Awareness Day festival At the White House?

Thursday, April 25, 2024 is Malaria Awareness Day 2024. Malaria Awareness Raising Awareness of Malaria Learn More & Join Our Fight Today!

Malaria Awareness Day was designated to be April 25 by President George W. Bush in 2007. In his proclamation, President Bush called on Americans to join in on the goal to eradicate malaria on the African continent.

Actually, I think he's better at having fun than at politics.

essay on precautions and measures to be taken against malaria?

Malaria is one of the most serious and common tropical diseases in the world.

It is a potentially fatal disease caused by various types of single-celled (protozoan) parasites known as Plasmodium. The parasites are carried by mosquitoes and injected into the bloodstream during a bite from an infected mosquito. Once in the blood, the parasites travel to the liver, where they multiply. The parasites are then released back into the bloodstream where they invade the red blood cells and multiply again. An actual attack of malaria develops when the red blood cells burst, releasing a mass of parasites into the bloodstream. The attacks do not begin until a sufficient number of blood cells have been infected with parasites.

The precautions A, B, C, D and E:

Awareness of risk.

Bite avoidance.

Chemoprophylaxis (taking preventive medicines if you are travelling to or living in a malaria region).

Diagnosis made promptly with early treatment of an infected case.

Emergency treatment with safe drugs.

Awareness of risk is fairly obvious, but with respect to anti malaria drugs be aware that not all are effective in all countries.

Bite avoidance is the most important and effective way to prevent malaria and suitable precautionary measures should be taken at all times in malaria risk areas.

Mosquitoes are most active between dusk and dawn, so avoid being outdoors at this time.

Keep doors and windows closed, unless they are screened.

Use insecticidal sprays, especially in sleeping area

Use mosquito coils and mosquito mats in sleeping area

Sleep under mosquito proof bed nets, preferably impregnated with an insecticide registered for this use.

If you have to be outdoors during this time then wear long sleeves, trousers and socks and apply an insect repellent to exposed skin.

The recommended preventive drugs vary by country - You need to find the most suitable drugs for the area - some parasites have developed immunity.

Diagnosis.

The symptoms of malaria can take up to a year to develop, so let your doctor know if you experience flu-like symptoms even if it's a while after your travels.

Tell your doctor about any areas you have been to where there is a risk of malaria, including brief stopovers.

If malaria is suspected you will usually be sent for further tests, these will confirm whether or not you have malaria parasites in your blood and, if you do, the type of parasite that is causing your symptoms.

The results of the blood test should be available on the same day. If you have malaria, treatment will be started straight away.

If travelling to areas remote from medical attention you may be advised to carry with you a course of emergency malaria treatment for self-administration when no medical attention is available.

A strong argument in support of equipping travellers with a quality effective antimalarial treatment as part of their travel medical kit is the global proliferation of counterfeit antimalarials, a situation that is increasing in Africa but is especially prevalent in Asia where more than 50% of such products are fake.

For more information see the links below and listen to the podcasts in the last two links.

I have recently been in a malaria area in South Africa, The Kruger National Park, and?

For most people, symptoms begin 10 days to 4 weeks after infection, although a person may feel ill as early as 7 days or as late as 1 year later.

* * Malaria Symptoms

Symptoms of malaria include fever and flu-like illness, including shaking chills, headache, muscle aches, and tiredness. Nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea may also occur. Malaria may cause anemia and jaundice (yellow coloring of the skin and eyes) because of the loss of red blood cells. Symptoms usually appear between 10 and 15 days after the mosquito bite.

-If not treated, malaria can quickly become life-threatening by disrupting the blood supply to vital organs. Infection with one type of malaria, Plasmodium falciparum,

-if not promptly treated, may cause kidney failure, seizures, mental confusion, coma, and death.

-In many parts of the world, the parasites have developed resistance to a number of malaria medicines.

* * Your risk of dying from malaria depends on:

-Lack of awareness of the risk.

-Not realising you need to take tablets, taking the wrong tablets for your destination, or not finishing your course of tablets.

-Mistaking malaria for another illness, such as flu.

-Any delay seeing a doctor or starting treatment.

SO . . . I am not saying you should consult a doctor . . . but . . . if I were you, I would be worried . . . very worried . . . and go for a blood test asap.