Case study 1 Malaria
I want to point out the fact that Malaria is a disease that threatens the life of many people in the world. An infected Anopheles mosquito mainly spreads it after biting an individual. These mosquitos carry a parasite known as plasmodium that is released to the bloodstream after the bite. Sometimes back, I was infected by Malaria, and my doctor said that the moment that parasite gets into your body, they travel directly to the liver to mature. After many days, the mature parasites enter the bloodstream and begin to infect the body defense system like the red blood cells.
Malaria is caused by an infected mosquito that has a plasmodium parasite. WHO also suggested that people are infected by different kinds of malaria parasites such as Plasmodium vivax, P. ovale, P. malariae, and P. falciparum. The most dangerous is Plasmodium falciparum, which causes a severe type of the disease that has high risks of death. Also, an infected mother can transmit the disease to the baby during birth, which results in congenital malaria. Malaria is not only transmitted through blood but also through; organ transplant and sharing of needles or syringe with infected persons. The disease can be prevented by sleeping under a treated mosquito net, covering your skin by applying insect repellant to the skin, and using preventive medicines. The signs and symptoms of malaria primarily develop from ten days to four weeks after being infected. But sometimes, the signs and symptoms may not develop for many weeks or months. Also, some malaria-causing parasites can get into the body and become inactive for a long time. According to WHO, the signs and symptoms include; severe body shaking, high fever, headache, nausea, vomiting, profuse sweating, diarrhea, convulsion, and muscle pain.
Malaria is a disease that its treatment is provided in the hospital through doctors’ medical prescriptions based on the type of parasite that has infected the patient. But sometimes, the doctor’s medical prescriptions may not clear the infection because the parasite might be resistant to the drug. In such a case, the doctor uses more than one medication or even changing the medication to cure the patient’s condition. Early diagnosis of malaria helps to prevent mortality rate as well as reducing its rate of transmission. Diagnosis of Malaria is carried by a doctor where he reviews the health history of the patient, including any recent travel made by the patient to tropical areas. Also, the doctor performs a physical exam with the patient. All this will enable the doctor to determine if the patient has an enlarged spleen once the patient shows some signs and symptoms of malaria, the doctor request for a blood test to confirm the diagnosis through a blood test. The blood test will show whether the patient has Malaria, a drug-resistant parasite causes the type of malaria, and if the disease has affected other crucial body organs. Patients with uncomplicated malaria usually show some health improvement, particularly 48 hours after the beginning of treatment and free from fever after 96 hours. If not treated well, Plasmodium falciparum infection has a poor prognosis with a high death rate. But, if the infection is diagnosed at an early stage and well treated, the prognosis would be excellent (Cleveland Clinic, 2017).
References
World Health Organization. Retrieved from https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/malaria
Cleveland Clinic (2017). Malaria: Outlook / Prognosis. Retrieved from https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/15014-malaria/outlook–prognosis