The disease is prevalent in subtropical and tropical countries like India, Vietnam, and Africa, where mosquito control is a big challenge. Once the infected mosquito bites the host human or animal, it injects the parasite into the host’s bloodstream. The parasite travels to the host’s liver, which becomes its breeding ground, where it matures. And gradually the body starts showing malaria symptoms. You can detect malaria through a simple blood test, which is essential to deciding the course of treatment. Recovery might be slow, and quarantine is advised.
Signs and Symptoms of Malaria
The signs and symptoms of malaria may vary from animals to humans. In humans, too, it varies in severity from young to old. The manifestation of malaria may occur within 610 to 15 days of exposure and sometimes as late as six months. The most common malaria symptoms include:
- Fever
- Shivering or chills
- A constant uneasy feeling
- Diarrhoea
- Headaches
- Rapid heart rate
- Increased breathing
- Underlying fatigue
- Muscle pain
- Joint pain
- Nausea and vomiting
- Pain in the abdomen
- Dry cough
Malaria may manifest in some adults through intense bouts of chills and fevers, which may last for a few minutes or hours. This is quickly followed by extreme sweating when the fever subsides. In medical terms, this is a classic malaria symptom, also known as paroxysm. Such cyclic manifestation may not be seen in all patients. In children, the symptoms are mostly restricted to high fever, dry caught, diarrhoea, and vomiting.
