Come rains and we hear an announcement regularly on the radio. Do not let stagnant water accumulate in or around your house. Newspaper also carry the advertisements everyday.
Another thing that appears regularly on the front page of newspapers during monsoons are the rising cases of Malaria.
What is Malaria:
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What is Malaria : Malaria ia a disease spread by a mosquito called anopheles. It is brown in colour with spotted wings. The female mosquito carries the germs of the disease from the sick person to a healthy person.
This female anopheles mosquito lays it’s eggs in stagnant water. They hatch into karva , grow into pupa and then the adult.
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The mosquito injects a tube like structure called proboscis to suck blood.
Diagnosis :
Malaria is diagnosed by a blood test. A small needle is pricked to collect 2-3 drops of blood. The blood is then tested under a microscope. The presence of tiny germs in the blood confirms malaria. These were first discovered by Ronald Ross in the year 1897.
Symptoms :
- High Fever
- Sweating
- Headache
- Nausea
- Vomiting
- Diarrhea
- Anemia
- Muscle Pain
- Chills
- Fatigue
Malaria is especially characterised by a cycle of high fever , shivering and headache. The fever subsides and reoccurs every few hours.
Medicine :
Malaria is cured by quinine tablets or syrups. It tastes bitter but , is the only cure . Quinine was first extracted from the bark of the cinchona tree.
Prevention
The only way to prevent Malaria is to eliminate all sources of stagnant water.
- Fill up small puddles around your house with sand.
- keep the coolers dry and clean
- A thin film of kerosene over water does not allow breeding of mosquitoes.
- Keep the surroundings free of garbage.
- Use mosquito repellants and mosquito nets.