Dr. Muhammad Mahtab Hossain Mazed

Today Thursday is World Malaria Day 2024. The first Malaria Day was observed in Africa on 25 April 2001. Then in 2007 World Malaria Day was proposed at the 60th session of the World Health Assembly. Since then, the day has been celebrated on 25 April every year.

The day will be celebrated in Bangladesh like other countries of the world.

The word malaria means polluted air. Malaria is a mosquito-borne infectious disease of humans and other animals caused by a protista (a type of microorganism) of the genus Plasmodium. The term malaria was first used by (1753). The word malaria comes from the Italian word for polluted air. At that time, people thought that this disease was caused by consuming polluted air.

By 1880, Charles Laveron identified a single-celled parasitic protozoa from red blood cells as the cause of malaria. The result is an end to the misconception that exposure to polluted air caused disease over hundreds of years. In 1897, Sir Ronald Ross, a British doctor working in India, proved that the (Anopheles) mosquito acts as a carrier of the disease. He was awarded the Nobel Prize in Medicine in 1902 for this groundbreaking discovery.

It begins with the bite of an infected female mosquito (Anopheles mosquito), the protists enter the circulatory system through her saliva and eventually reach the liver, where they mature and reproduce. Common symptoms of malaria are fever and headache, which in severe cases can lead to coma or death.

Malaria is one of the oldest and deadliest infectious diseases in the world. Approximately 230 million people are affected by this mosquito-borne disease every year, and 500,000 of them die.

95 percent of these deaths occur in sub-Saharan Africa. Among them, the number of children under 5 years is more than 260 thousand.

In 2016, nearly 500,000 people died of malaria worldwide. The prevalence of this mosquito-borne disease increases up to 10 times from May to October.

And in Bangladesh 1 crore 75 lakh 20 thousand people are at risk of malaria. Malaria incidence is high in 13 districts out of 64 districts of the country. About 98 percent of morbidity and mortality from this disease each year occurs in these 13 districts.

The districts are Rangamati, Khagrachari, Bandarban, Cox's Bazar, Chittagong, Sunamganj, Moulvibazar, Sylhet, Habiganj, Netrakona, Mymensingh, Sherpur and Kurigram.

In this case, the high-prone areas of malaria are Rangamati, Khagrachari and Bandarban districts of the hilly regions. Cox's Bazar is medium prone and remaining nine districts are low prone districts. Moreover, there are 71 malaria prone upazilas.

According to a 2017 World Health Organization report, there are 91 malaria-prone countries in the world. The total number of malaria patients is 216 million. However, compared to 2010, the incidence of malaria has decreased by 18 percent. At this time, the number of deaths due to malaria in the world is 4 lakh 45 thousand. In Southeast Asia, the total number of cases is 1.4 million, 1.35 billion are at risk and the number of deaths due to malaria is 557. At the same time, a total of 29 thousand 247 people were infected in Bangladesh. Of these, 93 percent were in high prevalence areas. 13 people died. According to the Department of Health, 456 people have been infected so far in 2018 and six have died.

> How does malaria spread?

In both mosquito species, the saliva enters the body through the bite of the female Anopheles mosquito. Then the parasite is spread in the blood through protists. This results in malaria.
Normally, fruit juice is food for mosquitoes, but blood is needed for nutrition during pregnancy. In this case, the first choice of Anopheles is the human body. The disease is caused by mosquito bites and fever is the main symptom of the disease. Hence the common disease called malaria fever.

> Causes of Malaria:-

Malaria is a disease caused by the mosquito-borne Plasmodium parasite. It is only transmitted by the bite of an infected female Anopheles mosquito. More than 60 species of malaria parasites have been identified so far, but only 4 species are responsible for human malaria.

Malaria can be caused by the bite of a mosquito carrying any of Plasmodium vivax, falciparum, malaria and ovale. Among these, falciparum malaria is the most deadly. which affects the brain. When an infected mosquito bites a person; Then the malaria germ enters the person's blood and he gets malaria.

> Why is this disease fatal?

Genetic studies of the disease have revealed unknown facts about how mosquito-borne malaria became a deadly disease. According to a study led by researchers at the Wellcome Sanger Institute in Cambridge, seven types of malaria have been compared according to the genealogy of this parasite.

There they found that about 50,000 years ago, this bacterium transformed into a new branch of disease. Which causes deadly infection for human race. The research was published in the journal Nature Microbiology.

> Symptoms of Malaria:-

1. The main symptom of this disease is fever with occasional chills. Fever can usually range from 105-106 degrees Fahrenheit.

2. Fever comes and goes at regular and fixed intervals; For example, fever after one day, it lasts for 3-4 days and then the fever subsides with sweating.

3. After the fever goes away, the body temperature may drop below normal.

4. Apart from this, moderate to severe shivering or chills, severe body pain, headache, insomnia occur.

5. Also, the patient suffers from loss of interest in food or loss of appetite, constipation, nausea or vomiting, digestive disturbances.

6. Excessive sweating, convulsions, feeling thirsty, feeling tired or lethargic, muscle, lower abdominal pain, spleen and liver enlargement problems occur.

7. Malaria causes anemia due to destruction of red blood cells.

8. The most complicated form of malaria is 'malignant malaria'. In addition to common malaria-like symptoms, it can cause various complications.

For example, anemia, kidney impairment, shortness of breath, jaundice, seizures, symptoms of low blood glucose appear. Without emergency treatment, these patients may become unconscious, or even die.

> Diagnosis and Treatment of Malaria:-

Malaria must be tested first if suspected. If malaria is not diagnosed; Then the test should be done on three consecutive days. If malaria is detected; Then you should consult a doctor without delay.

> Homeo Remedies:-

Even the homeo-physician knows that all diseases which return again and again with similar symptoms contain one or more disease-seeds, such as psoriasis, syphilis, and psychosis. Hahnemann discussed this in detail in his book 'Organon of Medicine'. Malaria is caused by malaria. Therefore, a high-potency psoriatic drug, such as hypersulfate or sulfur, should be given along with the selected drug. One thing that should be strictly followed in the treatment of malaria is that the patient should never be given medicine just before the onset of fever. The moment when the fever starts to subside is the right time to apply the medicine. Administration of the drug before the fever, combined with the action of the drug and the natural course of the disease, produces a condition which, if not fatal, renders the patient very weak. In many cases, the patient dies because of the ignorance of the doctor or the family members. There are different types of germs that cause malaria. Plasmodium malariae, Plasmodium vivax and Plasmodium falciparum are three types of bacteria found in our country. Plasmodium malaria and Plasmodium vivax malaria are more common in different regions. China-200 and Sulfur-200 are giving good results as antimalarials. Alsthenia-Q and Kalmegh-Mother tonics can be used to relieve the debility that follows the disease.

> What to do to prevent malaria:-

1. So far no effective allopathic vaccine has been discovered to prevent malaria. However, this disease can be completely cured in homeopathy.

2. To stay at a safe distance from mosquito-borne diseases, be aware. Avoiding mosquito bites is the best way to prevent this disease.

3. Therefore, you must use mosquito nets or coils while sleeping during the day or night.

4. Use nets, preventive creams, sprays on doors and windows.

5.Water should not accumulate anywhere around the house to prevent mosquitoes from breeding; Take care of that.

6. In addition to this, waterlogged areas should be cleaned regularly. Because mosquitoes lay more eggs in stagnant water.

7. Sprinkle insecticide or kerosene on mosquito-infested areas.

8.When traveling to malaria prone areas, carry anti-malarial medication as advised by your doctor.

Ultimately, malaria can be cured with appropriate treatment. Majority of malaria deaths are due to non-diagnosis and delay in treatment. For that, public awareness should be increased. If symptoms of the disease appear, it is very important to seek medical advice before complications develop. So today is the 17th World Malaria Day and it is the perfect time to protect ourselves from the devastating effects of malaria. It is possible to eliminate malaria from Bangladesh by 2030 through the combined efforts of the government, donor agencies, health departments, NGOs, researchers and citizens.

The writer is a Columnist and researcher Founder Chairman, Jatiya Rogi Kallyan Society