Both the residents of an endemic region and visitors into the region risk contracting malaria. “It is also widespread in Africa. Out of the 250 million cases recorded worldwide, 600,000 of them ends in death. The initial symptoms vary, but patients usually complain of paroxysmal fevers, nausea, and/or headaches. These symptoms show up in a lighter intensity among the residents of malarial endemic regions, because unlike travelers, they have partial immunity. They have been exposed to the parasite from a young age, so they only complain of slight fevers and nausea. During the pandemic, we need to differentiate malarial fever from Covid-19 fever. The former is continuous,” dr. Doni said, recalling his infection of the disease during his tenure in Yapen, Serui, Papua.
Malaria can be either light of heavy, with the latter usually being fatal. It is “heavy” when blood checks show that parasite level is 5%. “If it hits your brain, you will suffer from spasms and/or lose consciousness. If it hits your blood (hemoglobin), it will cause anemia. Heavy malaria is an emergent disease emergency. Please don’t ever underestimate it, and place all patients of the disease in the ICU ward and treat them as quickly as possible. Do not delay – it worsens quite rapidly and may prove fatal if you don’t act quickly. Heavy malaria is usually treated with injections, while light malaria can be treated using pills. Malaria prevention is based on the ‘ABCD’ principle,” dr. Doni said.
“A” is for “awareness”: people need to be aware of existing risks and be more careful towards malaria. “B” is for “bite prevention”, which is possible in malarial endemic regions by putting up mosquito nets, using AC, and using anti-mosquito lotion. “C” is “chemo prophylaxis”, which is consuming preventive medication when traveling into regions that are known to have endemic malaria. Finally, “D” is for “diagnosis”. In other words, consult a doctor immediately when you enter these regions for checkups and preventive measures. (est)