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Speak up for preventing the cause

The life threatening disease that kills so many people yearly has impacted several around the world, especially in the African Region. Malaria, the mosquito-borne disease is caused by a parasite is transmitted by bites of Anopheles mosquitos. These mosquitos usually bite during dusk and dawn. Four parasite species cause malaria. They are: Plasmodium falciparum, Plasmodium vivax, Plasmodium malariae and Plasmodium ovale. The most common are: Plasmodium falciparum and Plasmodium vivax, however the deadliest one is Plasmodium falciparum. The newest parasite species has been found in monkeys among South-East Asia forested area. The name is called: Plasmodium knowlesi.

People who are affected by malaria need to know that this disease is preventable and curable. However, if treated to late, it can be deadly. Malaria is known to be an acute febrile illness. For individuals that are non-immune to the disease, there symptoms can occur within seven or more days after they have been bitten by the mosquito. Some of the first symptoms include: fever, headaches and even vomiting. If the disease is not treated within 24 hours, P. falciparum malaria can lead to death. P. vivax and P. ovale can cause a person to suffer with clinical relapse that can go on for weeks to months after being infected even if the person is not in the area that they were infected by.

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Malaria in Africa

Sadly, half of the world's population is at risk. People need to know of this disease because it can and will save many people’s lives. If people know ways to prevent malaria from affecting several individuals, lives can be saved from this harmful disease. People can be more aware of the statistics and know how much lives have died as a result. If more people are aware of how the disease is spread, more individuals would avoid the outside especially during dawn and dusk. As of 2014, 97 countries and territories have been going through the transmission of malaria.

There are certain people that are at risk for the disease. They include: young children that are in areas that the disease is being transmitted, non-immune pregnant women, people with HIV/AIDS and immigrants from endemic areas returning to non-endemic areas. The good news is that there is treatment involved. P. falciparum malaria, ACT, is an artemisinin-based combination therapy which does help. There are also many preventable ways which include: vector control which reduces the transmission of malaria, indoor spraying with residual insecticides, insecticide-treated mosquito nets (ITNs), and insecticide resistance. At this time there are no licensed vaccines for malaria or any other human parasite. Sadly, half of the world's population is at risk. People need to know of this disease because it can and will save many people’s lives. If people know ways to prevent malaria from affecting several