Malaria is a disease that is most often caused by the bite of a mosquito carrying the malaria parasite. If left untreated, malaria sufferers may experience severe complications and even die. Although there is currently no malaria vaccine, the treatment given is usually quite successful in curing it. The success of treatment is determined by your ability to recognize risk factors and symptoms, as well as treatment as early as possible.
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Part 1 of 2: Diagnosing Malaria
Step 1. Determine if you are at risk for malaria
Although certain populations are more at risk, anyone can get malaria. You should know the risk factors so that you can detect possible attacks of this disease. In very rare cases, this disease can be transmitted through blood transfusions or organ transplants if medical personnel make mistakes in examining the donor. Sharing needles can also transmit malaria. However, because the disease is more commonly transmitted through mosquito bites, most people with malaria are found in tropical and subtropical climates.
- The CDC (US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) provides a list of malaria risk ratings by country. Countries at high risk for malaria include Angola, Cameroon, Chad, Ivory Coast, Liberia, etc. The deadliest strain of malaria is found south of the Sahara, Africa.
- For the record, this risk is not only experienced by those who live in these countries, but also those who visit them.
Step 2. Observe the symptoms of malaria after visiting a high-risk country
Normally, malaria has an incubation period of about 7-30 days until symptoms begin to appear. However, if you come from a low-risk country, you may want to take antimalarial medication as a precaution beforehand. Even if you become infected with malaria after taking it, this drug can slow the progression of the disease and may take several months for symptoms to appear. To be safe, be aware of the symptoms of malaria 1 full year after visiting a high-risk area. Remind the doctor about your trip every time you check your health condition during the 1 year.
Step 3. Understand the different types of malaria
Malaria generally exhibits one of the following three types: uncomplicated malaria, severe malaria, or malaria recurrence. Uncomplicated malaria is the most common type, but it is rarely found in hospitals because people mistake it for a cold, or flu, or a common infection. Those living in high-risk areas are often able to recognize the symptoms of uncomplicated malaria and treat it on their own. Severe malaria, on the other hand, can cause organ failure and be fatal. This condition requires emergency medical treatment. Relapse of malaria after the first attack often goes undetected because it is not always accompanied by obvious symptoms.
Step 4. Recognize the symptoms of uncomplicated malaria
Uncomplicated malaria can occur in repeated "strikes" that usually last 6-10 hours. During this attack, the patient will enter a cold, hot, and then sweating phase.
- In the cold phase, the patient will feel cold and shiver.
- During the fever phase, the patient will experience fever, headache, and vomiting. Children may even have seizures.
- In the sweating phase, the patient will feel tired and sweat excessively when the body returns to its normal temperature.
- Other symptoms include yellowish skin and a rapid breathing rate.
Step 5. Watch for symptoms of severe malaria
Many people experience nonspecific symptoms such as headaches, fatigue, nausea, vomiting, and body aches. If the malaria infection worsens to the point where it interferes with organ, blood, or metabolic functions, the symptoms will get worse. Severe malaria is fatal, and requires emergency medical attention. Call your doctor or emergency services if you experience any of the following symptoms:
- Weird behavior change
- Loss of consciousness
- Seizure
- Anemia (you may look pale, feel very tired or weak, dizzy, and have palpitations)
- Dark or reddish urine (due to hemoglobin)
- Difficulty breathing
- Abnormal blood coagulation
- Low blood pressure
- Kidney failure (decreased urine volume, swelling of the legs or feet due to fluid retention, pain or pressure in the chest)
- Low blood sugar levels (especially in women)
Step 6. Contact a medical professional
Regardless of whether you exhibit symptoms or not, you should always contact your doctor immediately after traveling to a high-risk area. Those living in high-risk areas sometimes wait to see if symptoms of uncomplicated malaria will worsen, while those living in low-risk areas should not do the same. If you suspect you have malaria, you should immediately contact your doctor for an examination and treatment.
Step 7. Perform a peripheral blood smear test
To determine the presence of the malaria-causing parasite in your blood, your doctor will take a blood sample for analysis in the laboratory. Even if your blood test is negative, your doctor will repeat the test every 8-12 hours for 36 hours.
- Your doctor may also order you to have a rapid blood test to see if you are at high risk for malaria. If the test result is positive, the doctor will order you to have a peripheral blood smear test to confirm the diagnosis.
- The doctor will also ask you to have a complete blood test and check the function of your liver and possibly other organs.
Part 2 of 2: Treating Malaria
Step 1. Seek diagnosis and treatment early
Although malaria can be dangerous and deadly, it is also very treatable. Although there is no vaccine to prevent the attack, early treatment has proven to be effective in reducing and curing it. The success of your treatment is determined by the act of contacting the doctor as soon as possible.
Step 2. Use the prescribed medication
Doctors may have many drug options to treat malaria. Your doctor will determine it based on the type of malaria parasite found in the peripheral blood smear test, your age, pregnancy, and the severity of your symptoms. Most malaria drugs have to be taken by mouth, but patients who develop complications may need medication through an IV. Like other living organisms, the parasite that causes malaria is able to adapt to counter the effects of drugs, but the following drugs have a high success rate:
- Chloroquine (Aralen)
- Quinine sulfate (Qualaquin)
- Hydroxychloroquine (Plaquenil)
- Mefloquine
- Combination of atovaquone and proguanil (Malarone)
Step 3. Rest during treatment
The best thing you can do is get plenty of rest during your recovery. There are many malaria treatment options, so not everyone will experience the same thing. However, side effects that may arise include blurred vision, nausea, diarrhea, vomiting, and abdominal pain. Some medications also cause a burning sensation in the chest, insomnia, anxiety or mental blurring, dizziness, or coordination problems.
- Watch your body for these side effects and let your doctor know when you experience them. The doctor may give other drugs to deal with these side effects.
- Drink plenty of water to prevent a burning sensation in the chest.
- Fluids are very important especially if you have vomiting and diarrhea. You will lose a lot of water as a result of this side effect and will have to restore fluids to maintain your health.
- Consume bland food to treat stomach ache.
- Lie down and do not push yourself if you have problems with body coordination.
- The doctor will monitor for signs of dehydration, anemia, and seizures. The doctor will also monitor for complications that affect your organs.
Step 4. Wait for your fever to go down
Malaria treatment is aggressive and fast acting. If everything goes according to plan, and you don't have any complications, your fever should go down within 36-48 hours. In most cases, the bacteria that causes malaria will completely disappear from the body within 2-3 days, and you should be fine within 2 weeks.
The doctor will continue to examine the peripheral blood smear while you are undergoing treatment for malaria. If the treatment is successful, the number of malaria parasites in your blood will decrease with each test
Step 5. Use primaquine to prevent malaria recurrence
Although the first attack of malaria may have passed, the disease may reappear suddenly over the next few years. Although it often occurs without any obvious symptoms, you may experience flu-like symptoms during a malaria flare. However, you should prevent this infection from reoccurring as much as possible. Primaquine is an antimalarial used after other drugs kill the malaria parasite in the blood.
- You will start using primaquine 2 weeks after the malaria has cleared.
- The dose and duration of treatment will be determined by your particular case: the type of infection and how you respond to treatment. Generally, it is recommended to use primaquine for 2 weeks.
- Follow the doctor's advice accurately. Do not try to increase or decrease the dose of the medicine, and take the medicine according to the schedule given in the prescription.
Step 6. Avoid mosquito bites in the future
If you live in a low-risk area, do not travel to a high-risk area while recovering from malaria. If you live in a malaria-endemic area, protect yourself as best you can.
- Protect your skin by wearing long pants and long sleeves, even in hot weather.
- Use mosquito repellent at all times.
- Use products that contain DEET, Picaridin, Oil of lemon eucalyptus (OLE) or PMD, or IR3535. Read the label on the package to make sure it contains the active chemical.
- Light a mosquito repellent candle to keep mosquitoes away from your surroundings.
- Stay in a protected room with air conditioning that is rarely inhabited by mosquitoes.
- Use mosquito nets while sleeping in areas with lots of mosquitoes.
Tips
- If possible, avoid camping or spending a lot of time in waterlogged areas. Remove water from pots and pans. Drinking water channels must also be protected because mosquitoes use standing water to lay eggs.
- Use insecticides and fly sprays to reduce the number of mosquitoes where you will be staying for a long time.
- Mosquitoes that transmit malaria attack at night. Try to plan activities so that you can be protected from sundown to dawn.
- When choosing a mosquito repellent, look for products that contain higher levels of active ingredients so that they last longer. For example, a 10% DEET formula may only protect you for 1-2 hours. On the other hand, studies have shown that the maximum efficacy of DEET is achieved at levels of 50%. Thus, higher DEET levels did not affect the duration of the effect.
- If possible, stay in a protected area with air conditioning.
- Wear long sleeves.
- Consult about anti-malarial drugs if you plan to visit a high-risk area.
Warning
- If not treated promptly, infection with the Plasmodium falciparum parasite (a type of malaria) can cause seizures, mental confusion, kidney failure, coma, and death.
- Purchase antimalarial drugs before traveling abroad. People living in areas at high risk for malaria are notorious for selling "fake" or substandard drugs to travelers.
