How to control Malaria

Malaria
Malaria is a disease caused by a germ which is transmitted to humans by
mosquitoes. The germ enters the mosquito when it bites and sucks the blood of
a person ill with malaria. When the mosquito bites another person, the germ is
transmitted into his/her blood. This mosquito bites at night and, depending on
the type, it breeds either in slow flowing streams, irrigation canals and seepages,
well water, overhead tanks, ponds, drains, collections of water on the roadside
and near houses.
A person who has malaria will go through different stages as explained below:
• Severe dengue
is potentially
fatal. Anyone
showing these
symptoms/
complications
should consult
a doctor
immediately.
Stage 1: Very severe shivering and cold feeling. This lasts from 15 minutes to 1
hour.
Stage 2: Temperature begins to rise, reaching a high grade (39.00 to 41.00 C) and
the person feels very hot. This lasts for 4-6 hours.
Stage 3: There is a lot of sweating, before the fever comes down and the person
feels better.
In malaria, the fever usually occurs every alternate day or even after 2 -3 days.
Sometimes the fever may be high grade without shivering, or it may occur daily
or every 2-3 days.
The person must have the blood tested for malaria. It is important to take
complete treatment, as advised by the hospital/health centre. One should never
self-medicate with malaria drugs.
How to control the spread of malaria:
1. Patients with malaria as well as others must sleep under mosquito nets.
2. Steps must be taken to prevent breeding of mosquitoes.
3. Protection from mosquitoes can be done by taking the following steps:
4.Using mosquito nets at night. If available, mosquito nets that have longlasting
insecticides on them should be used. This type of mosquito net
should not be washed too often.
5.At night, the body should be covered with a thin sheet. One can wear
thin cotton clothes to cover the arms and legs. Children must wear thin
protective clothing at night.
6. Houses should be screened and fumigated whenever feasible. Mosquito
repellents (creams and lotions which keep mosquitoes away) can be used.
7.Breeding of mosquitoes should be controlled (See Environment outside
the house)
8. Spraying of insecticides to kill mosquitoes in the houses, cattle sheds,
parks and open spaces is sometimes done by government departments.
This should never be prevented.
based on WHO