- Tropical and subtropical regions are common breeds for Malaria but can also be found anywhere on the globe where the parasite-carrying Anopheles mosquito lives.
Many people lack the knowledge about malaria due to misconceptions surrounding it.
Some of the risks and implications of malaria include:
1. Malaria only takes place in tropical areas
Tropical and subtropical regions are common breeds for Malaria but can also be found anywhere on the globe where the parasite-carrying Anopheles mosquito lives.
Global travel and climate change are spreading malaria into previously safe regions.
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2. Malaria is just a fever, nothing too serious
Most individuals believe malaria is a mild disease, but if left untreated in time, it can kill. The disease causes fever, chills, sweats, headache, fatigue, and nausea. If left untreated, malaria results in severe complications like organ failure and death.
3. Children and pregnant women are the only ones at risk
While children under the age of five and pregnant women are especially vulnerable to severe malaria, a bite by an infected mosquito can get you infected. Even healthy adults can develop severe malaria, especially if they have no immunity or are in a non-endemic region.
4. Once you're infected and treated, you're immune
There is no lifelong immunity against malaria. Although individuals residing in malaria-endemic regions develop immunity with time, it is never absolute. Travelling to a malaria-endemic area without immunity still exposes them to the risks.
Moreover, the malaria parasite can mutate, and new strains might cause drug resistance.
If left untreated, malaria can lead to life-threatening situations such as cerebral malaria, severe anaemia and organ failure.
Pregnant women infected with malaria are at a higher risk for miscarriage, stillbirth, low birth weight, and premature delivery.
