Malaria
By~Anna Cecil~Period 5
~The cause of this disease~
- Malaria is caused by a bite from a mosquito infected with parasites. It's also caused by a Plasmodium parasite.
~How is the disease transmitted?~
- It is transmitted by a mosquito that bites you, but this mosquito doesn't make the disease. They actually get the disease from a Plasmodium parasite. Don't be scared because only Anopheles mosquito's can get this and transmit malaria. They also must be infected.
~What are the symptoms of the disease?~
- Common symptoms of malaria include shaking chills, high fever, profuse sweating, headache, nausea, diarrhea, anemia, muscle pain, convulsions, coma, or bloody shots.
~How can this disease be treated?~
- The treatment really just depends on the condition or how bad it is. Also, some other factors, but some over the counter drugs include chloroquine, atovaquone-proganil, artemether-lumefantrine, mefloquine, quinine, doxycycline, or clindamycin.
~Ways to prevent yourself from getting the disease~
- You should try to not get bit by a mosquito, but if you do try to put some kind of medicine on it. Also, when you are outside, wear bug repellent specifically for mosquito's. Make sure that when you use this bug spray, do not use one that has more that 35% of a chemical called DEET.
This is someone in a coma, an effect from malaria.
This is someone being treated that has malaria.
You should always wear bug spray!
~Interesting facts! (You'll be surprised at some of them).
- Approximately, 1,500-2,000 causes of malaria are reported every year in the U.S.
- An estimate of 91% of malaria deaths were in the African region. This means that many people in Africa suffer from malaria each year. It can happen in not so sanitized places, like Africa and some parts of South America.
- These malaria fits can last from 6-10 hours, and they include the cold stage, hot stage, and sweating stage.
- Charles Louis Alphonse Laveran discovered malaria in 1880.
- King Tut is believed to have died from malaria.
~Important Quotes on Malaria said by Experts~
- "The malaria parasite has been killing people and has been sapping the strength of the whole population for tens of thousands of years. It's almost impossible to calculate the harm malaria has done to the world". -Bill Gates
- "There are more people dying of malaria than any specific cancer." -Bill Gates