What is malaria?
Plasmodium protozoan parasites cause malaria, which is a very dangerous disease. The disease is caused by four types of parasites, and it is spread by the female anopheline mosquito. P. falciparum is the most dangerous. It can lead to fatal cerebral malaria if it is not treated.
What do the signs look like?
Headaches, aches in the muscles, confusion, dizziness, vomiting (that lasts for a few hours), sweating, feeling tired, but most of all, a fever. Anemia and jaundice can occur.
Symptoms usually start between 7 days and a few weeks after a bite, but they can take up to a year to show up.
How can it be stopped?
Before going to a country with a lot of malaria, you should take the following medicines:
Atovaquone/proguanil
Doxycycline
Mefloquine
Primaquine (in special circumstances)
Visit your doctor or a health clinic a few weeks before your trip because these medicines need to be given in advance.
When travelling abroad, you should also use a good insect repellent on any exposed skin. The best one is one that contains DEET, which is the only ingredient that is guaranteed to work and last a long time. If you don't want to use DEET, there are other repellents you can buy, but you have to use them more often.
Which places are in danger?
Afghanistan. Angola, Brazil, Benin, Burkino, Cambodia, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, China, Comoros, Congo, Djibouti, Equatorial New Guinea, Eritrea, Faso Burindi, Gabon, Ghana, Guinea, Bissau, Indonesia, Ivory Coast, Kenya, Liberia, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mozambique, Niger, Nigeria, Principe, Rwanda, Sao Tome, Senegal,
BE SAFE!
