World Malaria Day: Hospitals create awareness on vector-borne diseases

Tribune News Service

Ludhiana, April 25

City hospitals observed World Malaria Day today by creating awareness about the vector-borne disease.

The disease is transmitted when an infected Anopheles mosquito bites a person. When the infected mosquito bites, it transfers the parasite into the person’s blood. Other modes of transmission include blood transfusion, organ transplantation, or the shared use of the contaminated needles among drug abusers.

The Ludhiana Institute of Nursing, Katani Kalan, observed World Malaria Day on theme ‘Malaria Prevention: Close the Gap’. Events comprised formal lecture on the basic and essential knowledge of malaria, its causes, sign and symptoms, physiology, diagnostic evaluation, treatment modalities and prevention. An exhibition-cum-health education programme was organised at Neelon village where students presented charts on sign and symptoms, transmission cycle, management and prophylaxis of malaria.

Principal Parminder Kaur unfolded the theme. She said malaria remained a major cause and a consequence of the global poverty and inequity. Many of those vulnerable, especially young children and expectant mothers, are unable to access the life-saving prevention, diagnosis and treatment they need. “Malaria is a life-threatening blood disease caused by parasites transmitted to humans through the bite of the Anopheles mosquito. Once an infected mosquito bites a human and transmits the parasites, those parasites multiply in the host’s liver before infecting and destroying the red blood cells,” said the principal.

Symptoms of the disease include cold, shivering, fever, headaches, and vomiting (seizures sometimes occur in young children), sweats followed by a return to normal temperature, with tiredness. Severe malaria can be present with fever and chills, impaired consciousness, multiple convulsions, deep breathing and respiratory distress, abnormal bleeding and signs of anemia, clinical jaundice and the evidence of vital organ dysfunction.

Dr Harpreet Kaur, Associate Consultant, Department of Medicine at Fortis Hospital, said the use of mosquito repellants and mosquito nets should be promoted. Clothing should be proper, especially in children who should wear long-sleeve shirts and full trousers than shorts while going out. Malaria control should not be limited to homes or communities, but government effort was a must to control the vector-borne disease. It should be made sure that water drains were not clogged and ground defects were properly sealed to prevent the mosquito breeding. Destruction of the adult mosquitoes by indoor residual spraying should be done.

Symptoms and signs

It is usually one to four weeks after the mosquito bite for symptoms to appear. The most-common symptom is high-grade fever which is cyclical. The classic malaria attack lasts 6-10 hours and consists of three stages. The first stage is the cold and intense shivering. This is followed by hot stage consisting of high-grade fever, headache and sometimes seizures, especially in children. This is followed by a sweating stage with return to normal temperature associated. Other symptoms include bodyache , malaise, mild jaundice, enlarged liver and spleen.