MALARIA - SYMPTOMS, TREATMENT AND PREVENTION

Malaria is caused by a parasite called Plasmodium. There are 5 species of Plasmodiumwhich infect humans:

Plasmodium vivax

Plasmodium falciparum

Plasmodium malariae

Plasmodium ovale

Plasmodium knowlesi which is less common.

Of these, Plasmodium falciparum infection is the most severe and can cause death in up to 10% of cases. It can be rapidly fatal. Pregnant women and children are especially at risk. Other types of malaria are less severe, but still may cause death.

Malaria is a notifiable disease.

How malaria is spread

The parasite is transmitted to humans by the bite of infected female Anopheles species mosquitoes.

The parasites multiply in the liver and the bloodstream of the infected person. The parasite may be taken up by another mosquito when it bites an infected person. The mosquito is then infected for the duration of its life and can infect other humans when it bites them.

Occasionally malaria is transmitted by blood transfusion. For this reason, people who have travelled to countries where malaria occurs may be deferred from giving blood for a short period. Malaria can also be transmitted from a mother to her fetus.

Malaria occurs in most tropical and sub-tropical areas of the world, including:

Africa

Central and South America

Asia (including southeast Asia)

Papua New Guinea

western Pacific islands.

Over a million people living in these countries die from malaria each year. Many thousands of tourists also get malaria during their travels to countries where malaria is present. Tourists often get severe illness because they have had no previous exposure to malaria and have no resistance to the disease.

SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS

In humans, the parasites live mostly in the red blood cells, but a very serious complication of Plasmodium falciparum malaria is infection of the brain.

Symptoms of malaria may include:

fever, which may come and go, or may be constant

chills

profuse sweating

malaise (feeling of unwellness)

muscle and joint pain

headache

confusion

nausea

loss of appetite

diarrhoea

abdominal pain

cough.

Diagnosis

Diagnosis is made by a blood test – sometimes it is necessary to repeat the test a number of times, as the parasites can be difficult to detect.

Incubation period

(time between becoming infected and developing symptoms)

Varies with the type:

P. falciparum: 9 to 14 days

P . vivax: 12 to18 days but some strains may have an incubation period of 8 to 10 months or longer

P. ovale: 12 to 18 days

P. malariae: 18 to 40 days.

These periods are approximate and may be longer if the person has been taking drugs taken to prevent infection.

Infectious period

(time during which an infected person can infect others)

Direct person-to-person spread does not occur.

A person remains infectious as long as the parasites are present in the blood. This may be several years if adequate treatment is not given. Parasites disappear from the blood within a few days of commencing appropriate treatment. Mosquitoes remain infected for life.

TREATMENT

Specific antimalarial treatment is available and must always be started as soon as malaria is diagnosed. There is increasing resistance to currently available drugs and treatment should be carried out by an infectious diseases specialist or other expert in the field.

PREVENTION

Exclusion from childcare, preschool, school or work is not necessary but cases should avoid being bitten by mosquitoes while they are unwell

there is no vaccine to prevent human infection by this parasite

personal protection and the environmental management of mosquitoes are important in preventing illness. See Fight the Bite for tips to on how to protect yourself.

Travel in countries where there is malaria?

Extensive international programs are undertaken in malarious countries to try to control this disease. For travellers, the following advice is given:

see a travel medicine expert before you go to get specific advice for the places you will be visiting

always take malaria prophylaxis drugs exactly as prescribed and take the full course. Be aware of their potential side effects

protect yourself from mosquito bites. Travel medical centres have good information on how to do this

be aware that no preventive measures are 100% effective, so always seek medical attention immediately if you develop a fever while travelling in, or after return from, a country where malaria occurs

always give your doctor the information about your travel if you become sick.

YOU ARE NEVER TOO OLD TO EXERCISE

A lot of people when they get into their middle-aged years if they are out of shape may be inclined to think that getting fit is a lost cause. They imagine in order to get into shape again requires many hours a week on the treadmill or long distance running. Actually, nothing could be farther from the truth. First of all it is never too late for anyone to start a fitness routine. And secondly the most effective training methods shouldn't take a person more than a few minutes a week to complete.

Exercise at a high intensity level interspersed with periods of moderate rest is known as high intensity interval training (HIIT). If you are middle-aged and out of shape you might think that this type of intense activity will be too much for you to handle. Certainly you must take the approach that you can only give your body as much as it can handle, but normally your body will tell you when it's had enough. Letting your doctor know that you are about to undertake an intense training program should put your mind at ease as your body's abilities to handle it.

Test after test have shown that exercise after 40 will provide multiple benefits. Lowering your existing heart rate and maximizing oxygen uptake are only a couple of ways that exercise can help people at middle-age. But the one wonderful benefit I would like to address here is how intense exercise will help naturally boost human growth hormone levels. This is vital for healthy aging and maintaining the vigorous lifestyle well into old age.

And what makes this hormone so important? The growth hormone, also known as Somatotropin is beneficial not only for bodybuilders, as we've heard so much about, but for everyone as they get into their middle years and over. These hormones act as a liaison as they pass messages to various endocrine glands using the blood as a carrier. The signals they send are the main way that new tissue growth is built. As we age, old tissue is constantly lost, and if it is not replaced by new tissue we gradually deteriorate through old age.

Increasing the growth hormone gives other medical benefits. To name a few they lower bad cholesterol levels and raise good cholesterol levels, reduce fat tissue, make it possible to increase lean muscle mass and give us more energy to exercise longer. Anything we can do to increase these levels should be a high priority.

The necessity of getting into intense training begins shortly after we start the aging process. We probably aren't aware of this, but when we reach our mid-20s to 30 years old we begin a process called somatopause. This is where our production of human growth hormone begins to decrease quite dramatically, and this is where the aging process begins. Maintaining your HGH levels take on a great importance as it addresses the issues of muscle loss and a trophy. But tests have shown that just because you miss this early window doesn't mean you can't make up for it in your midlife or even elderly years. Never assume that you're too old, as it's been well documented that you're never too old to begin intense exercising.

Endorphins are an important regulator of pain, but also pleasure.  Most people produce them through exercise, but certain foods, especially chocolate can produce a similar effect.  Read more about it on our website.  Rich Carroll is a writer and health advocate now living in Chicago.

By Rich Carroll  

CAUSES OF BACK PAIN AND TREATMENT OPTIONS

Many of us will experience neck and back discomfort at least once in our lives. There are many reasons why many people have back pain. The following are some of the causes of back pains and complications.

Injury or accident:
For some people problems may be as a result of an injury or accident. Accidents lead to shock in the muscles and tendons. In severe cases it may be as a result of bone dislocation. It is advisable to seek medical assistance if the pain persists.

Poor posture:
For others the problems is as a result of slow and progressive increase of pain on the back. Sometimes the issue could be as a result of a continued poor posture. Usually a poor posture puts your head forward and exerts a lot of stress on the muscle in the back of the neck and the upper part of the shoulders. If you have a poor posture problem your muscles are constantly in a state of contraction which results in injury and discomfort.

Failure to exercise:
Failure to exercise opposing muscle groups can lead to neck, shoulder and back discomfort. The imbalance of muscle strength can lead to chronic or periodic pressure in these areas.

Lifestyle:
A sedentary lifestyle, obesity and lack of muscle tone may also lead to back complications. The neck and back share the same muscles and that means if one is negatively affected it will impact the other.

Treatment options:
The following are some of the safe and effective things to do. However, if your back does not benefit from these, the best thing will be to see a doctor.

Application of heat or ice:
Apply heat or ice on the specific area in a way that you feel comfortable. In other words, beside the fact that ice may be too cold, you should not feel pain as you do this. You may need to apply ice packs wrapped in towels for around 10 minutes after every 2 hours. On the other hand, you may need to apply heat instead of ice or use the two. Remember to have a cloth between your skin and the ice.

Massage:
Massage helps to increase blood flow to the muscles. It also improves muscle tone and assists your muscles to relax.

Medicines:
Use of pain relievers such as acetaminophen, ibuprofen and aspirin can bring the pain down.

Rest: 

Try to lie comfortably in a well suspended bed and relax. The best position for your back is on your side with the knees bent.

Thank you for reading..

By Marco Rafie a back pain therapist. 

IMPORTANCE OF HAND SANITATION

You may have observed that there are people who fall ill very often. In fact, you may also find that in some families, it is common to see people suffering from common cold and other such ailments. Not many people realize that there are some simple steps to follow to shield self from common ailments.

Maintaining basic hygiene is the basic step towards keeping good health. Take a shower regularly. The frequency of shower depends on your working conditions and the climate you live in. For instance, if you have a job with high level of physical activity, you may need to bath twice to support body hygiene. Similarly, people living in hot and wet conditions should bathe 2-3 times daily with a quality body wash.

The next simple step is to thoroughly wash your hands before meals and each time that you suspect germs. You should use a high quality hand wash liquid as they don't contain the germs of another person's hands. Equally important is the time you spend during hand wash. Instead of treating it like a mere formality, hand wash must be given adequate importance and attention.

Fortunately for those who often move, hand sanitizer are a great option to keep up hygiene. You get sanitizer in all varieties of packaging including a tiny one that you can keep in your pocket, a sleek one that you can keep in you car, and a big bottle with dispenser that you can keep on your office desk. It is a very useful product for instances when you don't have the time or option for a proper hand wash.

Clothes often contain hidden germs and bacteria that can potentially cause us harm. So don't wait for visible dirt to arrive. Wash your clothes often, especially towels and handkerchiefs. You may also like to add special additives to your washing machine to make sure a thorough wash.

Maintaining basic hygiene and health is not a challenge. All you need to do is follow simple steps and a change in your regular lifestyle.

If you are not sure on what situation are best for maintaining your personal hygiene, then here is a summarized version.

You must wash your hands for below works:

·         After you visit the washroom.

·         Before eating any thing

·         After taking out garbage.

·         After you touch cuts, boil, etc

·         After handling fish or poultry.

·         After blowing your nose or handling dirty items.

Number of times you should take a bath:

·         At least twice a day for everyone.

·         If your work requires high physical activity, then bathe 2 times a day.

·         For people living in hot and humid places, take a bath 2-3 times a day

·         For any bath use a good soap and a good shampoo or any Ayurvedic product.

Follow the above steps and you will not fall sick or will fall sick less often.

This is an article which highlights the benefits of personal hygiene like regular bath, washing hands with a good hand wash for at least 20 seconds.
Hands must be washed before eating, after cleaning objects, after taking out garbage, etc.

Hand Sanitation prevent diseases like Ebola virus, Malaria and Infections etc... 

THANK YOU FOR READING

Article By Abhijeet Choudhury