Buy an essay: MALARIA

Malaria is a disease that is still present in our life. It is among one of the most frequent diseases that can attack a tourist during a trip. This infectious disease is caused by the malarial plasmodium. There are four main types of plasmodia; therefore four major types of malaria are distinguished. This disease is usually followed by shivering, fever, high temperature; sometimes the severe form of the disease (tropical malaria) can cause malarial coma. Malaria is extremely widespread in Africa, South East Asia and the South America. It is caused by the elementary sort of plasmodium. The life-cycle of activators includes two owners: a mosquito and a person. As there are four types of plasmodia and four types of malaria, the clinical picture slightly differs in each case. There are three-day malaria, oval malaria, four-day malaria and tropical malaria. The last one is the most severe, as it can cause cerebral forms of illness and various complications. The clinical picture and the data of epidemiological anamnesis are the basis for diagnosis. Malaria is difficult to control; however there are certain key interventions to control it. Nowadays there is no vaccine from malaria and it is easier to prevent the disease than to cure it.

We live in the XXI century. However, there are diseases that are still present in our life, such as malaria. Ever year about 1500 cases of malaria are registered in the USA (Malaria and Travelers). Malaria is among several most frequent diseases that wait for the travelers during their trips (Sabo, 2008). Malaria is the infectious disease caused by malarial plasmodium. It is characterized by periodic attacks of a fever, liver and spleen increase, an anemia. Malaria distribution is limited by an area of carriers – mosquitoes of sort Anopheles and an ambient temperature providing end of development of the activator in an organism of a mosquito, i.e. 64 ° northern and 33 ° southern latitude; the disease is extended in the countries of Africa, South East Asia and the South America.
Malaria activators are the elementary sorts of plasmodium. Life cycle of activators of malaria includes two owners: the person and a mosquito. In a mosquito-carrier organism plasmodia pass sexual development (sexual process and sporogonium), in an organism of the person – sexless development (schizogony). A mosquito, eating blood of someone who is sick of malaria swallows plasmodia. In a stomach of an insect sexless stages of parasites are digested, and sexual gametocytes are impregnated and undergo a number of transformations therefore appear sporozoites, accumulating in salivary glands of a mosquito-carrier. At the subsequent food on the person the mosquito with saliva enters sporozoites into its organism where there is a process of schizogony. By blood and lymph sporozoites are brought in a liver of the person.
The clinical picture of illness is substantially caused by an activator kind; therefore four forms of malaria are distinguished: three-day, caused by plasmodium vivax; an oval-malaria which activator is plasmodium ovale; four-day, caused by plasmodium malariae; tropical, the activator – plasmodium falciparum. However a number of clinical displays of illness are inherent in all forms. Duration of the incubatory period depends on an activator kind. At a tropical malaria it makes 6-16 days, at three-day with the short incubatory period – 7 – 21 day, at an oval-malaria – 7-20 days (in some cases 8 – 14 months), four-day – 14 – 42 days. In an onset of the illness there can be a period of prodrome, shown by an indisposition, drowsiness, a headache, an ache in a body. In 3-4 days there is a malaria attack during which three periods allocate – a fever, heat, plentiful sweat.
The first period can be expressed in various degrees: from a shivering to a tremendous fever. The face and limbs become cold, cyanotic. Pulse is speeded up, breath is superficial. Duration of a fever is from 30 – 60 mines to 2 – 3 hours. In the heat proceeding from several o’clock to one day1and more depending on a kind of the activator, the general condition of patients worsens. The temperature reaches high figures, the person reddens, and there is excitation, quite often vomiting. The headache amplifies. Sometimes there is a delirium, confusion of consciousness, a collapse. Diarrheas are possible. The attack termination is characterized by decrease in temperature to normal or subnormal figures and strengthened sweat (the third period), proceeding 2 – 5 hours. Then there comes a deep sleep. As a whole the attack usually lasts 6-10 hours. The clinical picture of illness can be atypical, the incubatory period can proceed some months or even years.
The three-day malaria is usually benign. The attack begins in the afternoon with sudden lifting of temperature and a fever. Attacks arise in one day. Daily attacks are possible also.
Oval-malaria it is similar with three-day, caused by plasmodium vivax, but proceeds easier. Attacks arise more often in the evening.
The four-day malaria, as a rule, has no prodrome period. Illness begins at once with the attacks arising in 2 days. Shivering is expressed poorly.
Complications are most often observed at tropical malaria; they develop at not immune persons and are in most cases connected with high parasitmia. The cerebral form of illness (a malarial coma), an infectious-toxic shock, sharp nephritic insufficiency, a hypostasis of lungs are among them.
The diagnosis is established on the basis of a clinical picture (occurrence of characteristic malarial attacks) and the data of the epidemiological anamnesis (for example, stay in district, unsuccessful on malaria last 2 years). At tropical malaria it is quite often difficult to reveal recurrence of a current, therefore to suspect it follows in all cases of the diseases accompanied by a fever, in the presence of the corresponding epidemiological anamnesis. The main role in diagnostics in this case is played by activator detection.
There are key interventions that can control malaria (World Health Organization): prompt and effective treatment with artemisinin-based combination therapies; use of insecticidal nets by people at risk; and indoor residual spraying with insecticide to control the vector mosquitoes.
People must be extremely conscious about this disease as “there is no vaccine available for malaria, but researchers are trying to develop one.” (Davis) Still, there are some measures that can help preventing it (MedlinePlus):
• Wear insect repellent
• See your doctor for medicines that protect you
• Sleep under mosquito netting
• Cover up.
Works cited
Davis, Ch. Malaria. MedicineNEt.com. Retrieved September 21,