Who else hates the annoying sound of mosquitoes singing in your ears? These little creatures are to be held responsible for all the malaria you’ve ever had.
In Nigeria today, malaria is not feared anymore because people have been infected and reinfected so much that malaria is now almost handled like a common cold that often needs no test or further diagnosis to be treated.
As much as we like to think malaria is no longer a threat to humans, people continue to die from the malaria parasite. It is alarming the number of children and pregnant women that die as a result of this parasitic infection.
Malaria remains one of the deadliest life-threatening diseases caused by a parasite that is transmitted when an anopheles female mosquito bites a person.
As a matter of fact, mosquitoes are only carriers of the protozoan parasite called plasmodium that causes malaria in humans.
There are 5 species of this plasmodium, plasmodium vivax, plasmodium malariae, plasmodium falciparum, plasmodium ovale and plasmodium Knowles.
The plasmodium falciparum has, however, proven to be one of the deadliest plasmodia and causes the most dangerous form of the disease.
You can be bitten by a mosquito severally and still not get infected, that’s because the plasmodium first infects a female mosquito then the infected mosquito, in turn, bites a human.
So, it’s only when a mosquito has been infected that it will be able to pass on the plasmodium.
It is estimated that there are 229 million cases of malaria worldwide yearly and approximately 409,000 people die of malaria.
This is a huge and alarming number of deaths that can be prevented, that’s why world malaria day tagged this year’s awareness day as “reaching the zero malaria target”.
World Malaria Day is an occasion to highlight the need for continued investment and sustained political commitment for malaria prevention and control.
Can malaria be eradicated in Nigeria?The eradication of malaria in Nigeria sounds very futuristic, it’s like looking forward to the development of flying cars.
In as much as governments and individuals are making strides to eradicate it, some other factors may make it futile, and here are a few factors:Malaria is a lot prevalent in poor developing countries and according to the Borgen magazine, Nigeria is a third world country in Africa and also known as the poverty capital of the world.
The poverty rate proves that Nigeria is a conducive breeding habitat for mosquitoes and transmission of the parasite all year long.
The illiteracy rate is a major drawback in the fight against malaria.
A lot of people are not enlightened enough to know basic preventive measures and are not educated to comply with guidelines and treatment dosage.
Malaria infection is a cycle and it can be transmitted, although not like other infectious diseases.
It can be passed on from a pregnant mother to her unborn baby, through blood transfusion, organ transplant and needle sharing.
The plasmodium has been known to survive in hot temperate climates, the plasmodium has no tolerance for cold, in warmer or hotter climates, the parasite grows quickly and infects the body but in cooler climates, it develops slowly and can be controlled or the mosquito dies before it fully develops.
Africa, amongst other climates like South and Southeast Asia, The Middle East, Central and South America and Oceania are the warmest climates known to have a high rate of malaria cases.
Because the weather encourages the breeding of mosquitoes, so much effort must go into the prevention and eradication of malaria in Nigeria in the nearest future.
Low immunity levels especially amongst children between 0-5 years. It is believed that a child’s immunity is lower than that of an adult, this is a major hindrance to the eradication.
The occupation and locality: most Nigerians in rural areas are farmers and fishermen, these activities expose them to being bitten and as we know it, malaria is a cycle.
These persons get exposed to infected mosquitoes and the cycle continues.
The locality also encourages breeding because of the dirt, open water drainages, bushes and farmlands, rivers and sewers are all conducive areas for mosquitoes to thrive.
There are so many reasons why it may take a while before malaria is eradicated but preventative measures can be taken as there is no preventive vaccine at the moment.
How to protect yourself against malaria
Preventing bites: it may be difficult to completely prevent bites but as much as possible prevent the frequency of bites.
Use treated mosquito netsSleep in an air-conditioned room and keep doors and windows shut to prevent mosquitoes from getting in.
Spray your room and surroundings regularly with insecticidesUse mosquito repellant creams, sprays and ointment.
These should only be used occasionally as they also contain chemicals that can be harmful to the skin. Look for repellants that contain NN Diethyl benzamide and other ingredients like peppermint, neem, citronella and eucalyptus.
Most of all cover up if you have to stay outdoors at night.
2. Use antimalarial medication: as earlier stated, there is no preventive vaccine but anti-malarial drugs reduce your chances of getting infected especially when used with other preventive measures mentioned above.
There are so many off the counter malaria tablets that can be bought from any pharmacy around or you can also ask your doctor for the best alternatives.
But according to Doctor Sun, it is medically wrong for people who live in malaria-endemic countries to take antimalaria drugs for prophylaxis and that’s because it reduces their immunity to subsequent malaria infections but it’s ok for people visiting the endemic countries for short periods to take the anti-malaria medication.
3. Get rid of stagnant water especially dirty ones from around you, cover gutters and keep them clean because these are suitable breeding sites for mosquitos.
Treatment for malariaMalaria can be fatal if left untreated.
The malaria disease may present different symptoms based on the individual.
Avoid self-medication and assumption as is the case of many Nigerians, once we get a headache and fever it’s automatically malaria.
visit your doctor or healthcare provider, they will carry out a blood test to ascertain the type of malaria parasite and then medication will be prescribed or the doctor will advise you on the next steps to be taken.
Severe cases of malaria can lead toLiver failureKidney failureA sudden drop in blood pressureVery low blood sugarDehydration etc.
Takeaway How does a future without malaria sound? Sounds good and farfetched at the same time but achievable.
The bulk may rest on the government but if we all do the little we can in our corners, by following all the preventative measures, encouraging others to do so and by being a part of the malaria awareness campaign day, malaria will become a thing of the past in Nigeria pretty soon.