When planning an exotic trip, remember about the dangers of tropical diseases. There is no effective vaccine against malaria, but there are drugs without which the risk of developing malaria, also known as malaria, is very high.
Some time ago,malariawas loud because of Georg Clonney, who contracted it in Sudan. Quick diagnosis and appropriate treatment made him come into shape after 10 days, but not everyone can count on such good diagnosis, treatment and happiness.
Therefore, instead of deluding yourself that it will be fine and that you will not catch it during a holiday trip to an exotic country - visit a travel medicine specialist two months before departure, who will recommend you the appropriate chemoprophylaxis. The prices of drugs, compared to the sums we spend on the trip (a few weeks' vacation in the tropics cost about PLN 10,000), are not high, because for the newest antimalarial drug (16 tablets for 16 days) we will pay about PLN 300.
For prophylactic use, chlorokine, mefloquine, proguanil, doxycycline and the newest and most effective anti-cold preparation are used, including atovaquone and proguanil. Without the above-mentionedprophylaxisthe risk of developing malaria is really high.
- We must remember that there are no drugs in 100%. effective, therefore taking them cannot exempt us from prophylaxis - says Dr. Piotr Kajfasz, MD, specialist in infectious diseases, marine and tropical medicine.
female mosquito mite transmits malaria
Malaria, or in Polishmalariais an acute or chronic parasitic disease caused by a protozoan of the genus Plasmodium. The name of the disease comes from the Italian words mal'aria, which means bad air. The vector, i.e. the carrier of the infection, is the female mosquito, which is distinguished by the characteristic arrangement of the body in relation to the skin surface during feeding. Forkbeard holds the abdomen at an angle of 45 degrees to the surface of the skin, while the remaining mosquitoes hold it parallel.
- At the bite, the infected female introduces saliva with protozoites into the human body. After initial replication in the liver, the parasite attacks the red blood cells, where it multiplies, causing them to break down. For unconventional or rare ways of transmitting the germinclude: transmission of infection as a result of infusion of infected blood, infection through contaminated needles or syringes, penetration of malaria spores without the participation of the female moth mosquito (contact with the patient's blood, laboratory infections), classical infections in areas remote from endemic areas of malaria - says Dr. med. Piotr Kajfasz, specialist in infectious diseases, marine and tropical medicine. - In the latter case, female mosquitoes are transported on board planes or ships. In Europe, specific areas of malaria risk are found around major airports (Zurich, Vienna-Schwechat, Berlin, Frankfurt am Main, Amsterdam-Schiphol, London-Heathrow).
Where can you catch malaria?
The risk of malaria occurs in southern Mexico (Yucatan Peninsula, border areas with Belize and Guatemala), Central America, the Caribbean (Dominican Republic, Haiti, Jamaica), South America, especially in the Amazon basin and Orinoco.
The painting area is located in Africa south of the Sahara desert and extends to South Africa. In South Africa, endemic areas are located in the border regions with Zimbabwe and Mozambique, in the Mpumalanga Province, where the famous Kruger Park is located, and in the north and north-eastern parts of the Kwazulu-Natal Province. Virtually the entire east coast to Durban is dabbed.
In the Middle East, the risk of malaria is low and seasonal. In Central Asia (Tajikistan, Afghanistan, Azerbaijan), the epidemiological situation regarding the incidence of this invasive parasitic disease has significantly worsened. The threat of malaria occurs in the Indian Subcontinent, and Indochina (Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, Burma and Thailand) is considered to be the cradle of drug-resistant malaria parasites. In the Far East, the greatest risk of contracting malaria is in Indonesia, East Timor, and Papua New Guinea. Some oceanic islands (Madagascar, Sri Lanka, Vanuatu, Solomon Islands) also belong to the areas of dabbing.
- Almost 3.5 billion people, or about 40% of the world's population, live in malaria. The disease occurs in 110 countries. Poland has been free from native malaria since 1963. The diseases we encounter nowadays are brought from endemic areas of this parasitic disease - says Dr. Piotr Kajfasz. - About 3 million people die from malaria each year and 500 million suffer from it. Over 90% of all malaria cases are reported in Africa below the Sahara desert. Malaria kills 3,000 a day. children under 5 years of age (one child every 30 seconds).The mortality rate from this invasive disease is many times greater than that from AIDS. Every 12 seconds, dabbing is a direct or indirect cause of death in the world.
The first symptoms of malaria are like the flu
There are four pathogenic or disease-causing species of Plasmodium parasites. They are: Plasmodium vivax (the vagrant plumage), Plasmodium ovale (the oval plumage), Plasmodium malariae (the streaked plum), Plasmodium falciparum (the crescent cultivar). The last of them is the most dangerous and causes tropical malaria, which late diagnosed or untreated may lead to human death.
The period of malaria incubation depends on the species of the parasite and is usually within the range of 12-28 days. The course of the disease depends on the number of infected red blood cells, the degree of immunity of the organism (people permanently living in malaria areas acquire partial immunity), general he alth, concomitant diseases (tuberculosis, AIDS), virulence and species of the parasite. The disease is more severe in children, pregnant women, malnourished and dehydrated people. The first symptoms of malaria are not very specific and resemble the flu or a cold. Muscle and joint pains, general breakdown, malaise, anxiety dominate. In a typical attack of malarial fever, we can distinguish the cold phase (chills), the hot phase (increase in body temperature, often to 41 degrees C) and the sweating phase, after which the patient falls asleep for several or several hours.