Type of micro-organism:Protozoa
Image or diagram:
Transmission of the disease:
A person gets malaria from the bite of an infected female mosquito. The mosquito bite injects young forms of the malaria parasite into the person's blood.
Signs and symptoms:
People with malaria typically have cycles of chills, fever, and sweating that recurs every 1, 2, or 3 days. The attack of the malaria parasites on the person’s blood cells makes temperature rise of person and the person feel hot. The subsequent bursting of red blood cells makes the person feel cold and have hard, shaking chills. Nausea and vomiting often go along with the fever. The destruction of red blood cells can also cause yellowing of the skin or whites of the eyes and anemia.
Prevention and/or treatment:
The continued existence of malaria in an area requires a combination of high human population density, high mosquito population density, and high rates of transmission from humans to mosquitoes and from mosquitoes to humans. If any of these is lowered sufficiently, the parasite will sooner or later disappear from that area, as happened in North America, Europe and much of Middle East.
malariae can often be treated on an outpatient basis. Treatment of malaria involves supportive measures as well as specific antimalarial drugs. When properly treated, someone with malaria can expect a complete recovery.
Reference list:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malaria#History
