Malaria
Malaria is a protozoal infection and there are four species of plasmodia which cause malaria. These are the following:
– Plasmodium vivax
– Plasmodium falciparum
– Plasmodium malariae
– and Plasmodium ovale.
The malarial parasites require Anopheles mosquitoes as the definitive host for maturation, fertilization and sexual multiplication leading to production of sporozoites.
We, humans, get the infections when we are bitten by this Anopheles mosquito carrying the sporozoites.
In the Philippines, the principal mosquito vector of malaria is Anopheles minimus flavirostris.
These mosquitoes breed in flowing, clear, shaded streams which are most found in mountainous areas.
The incubation period in malaria varies depending on the species and strain of Plasmodia and the overall resistance of the individual.
Usually it is between 10-17 days. The classical symptoms of malaria are:
– paroxysms of chills
– fever
– sweating occurring at regular intervals depending on the segmentation or completion of erythrocytic schizogony.
What happens here is that the affected individual will have shaking chills lasting for 10-30 minutes followed by fever of several hours associated with headache, muscle pains, nausea and body malaise.
Then the fever will subside with heavy sweating and the patient feels normal. A number of cases of falciparum malaria in children may have recurrent fever without chills and sweating but they will have headache, anorexia, nausea, vague abdominal pain, a highly colored urine, liver and spleen enlargement.