An All-Inclusive Malaria Treatment Guideline

Malaria still remains the biggest and most serious health challenge. Malaria is a mosquito-borne infection caused by Plasmodium genus of parasite. The most common species are Plasmodium Flaciparum & Vivax. Ineffective treatment is one step in treating the disease and its consequences. Recommendations on treatment, alternative medicine, and injections are the aspects of the clinical fight against malaria that this article tries to untangle. 

Symptoms of Malaria

Malaria symptoms are comparable to those of the flu. Some of the common symptoms include:

• Sweating and Fever
• Chills 
• Muscle aches and headaches
• Fatigue 
• Coughing, breathing issues, and chest pain.
• Vomiting, nausea, and/or diarrhoea.
• Anaemia and jaundice, or yellowing of the skin and whites of the eyes, can develop as malaria worsens.

Symptoms of malaria typically show up 10 days to 1 month after infection. The severity of the symptoms can vary depending on the parasite type. For up to a year following a mosquito bite, some people do not experience any symptoms. In certain cases, parasites can remain in the body for years without producing any symptoms.

Depending on the parasite type, certain types of malaria can recur. After years, the parasites are released into your bloodstream from their dormant state in your liver. When the parasites start to spread, the symptoms reappear.

Diagnosing Malaria

Your healthcare provider will inquire about your medical history, travel history and symptoms. To check for malaria parasites, your doctor will recommend blood tests. In addition to diagnosing whether you have malaria, the blood test will reveal the kind of malparasite causing your symptoms. These test reports will help your doctor decide on the best course of action.

General Drug to Cure Malaria

Artemisinin Combination Therapies

The Artesunate Combination Therapies are the medicines generally prescribed to deliver the drugs for malarial medication, mainly Plasmodium falciparum. The medicines contain artemisinin which is derived from the wormwood plant and the delivery of a combination of medicines along with other medicines that inhibit the multiplication of malarial parasites. This is to post maximum efficacy by posting the smallest chance of drug resistance. Other common combination therapies include artemether-lumefantrine and dihydroartemisinin-piperaquine.

IV Artesunate Infusions

Administer IV P. falciparum artesunate, always to be administered as an IV infusion for IV use, if malaria becomes life-threatening; the dosing scale is based on that in this plan, initial dose then subsequent doses, as based on clinical response.

Proguanil and Atovaquone

Most of these drugs have been prescribed in combinations; therefore, this is the prevention and treatment aspect of uncomplicated malaria. For instance, whereas proguanil can be quite effective in P. vivax treatment, it differs in the flexibility with which it might treat a different profile of malaria cases.

Malaria Treatment Nursing Care

Supportive care should be initiated with the management of fever, dehydration, and anemia. Fluids must be given properly to avoid dehydration, and, based on clinician discretion if deemed appropriate, transfusions of blood and symptomatic treatments must be provided to make the patient as comfortable as possible. 

Principles and Recommendations for Treatment

It is the WHO, which provides guidelines for the treatment of malaria. The class of drug that is now preferred, as regards the uncomplicated malaria caused by P. falciparum, is ACT. As regards P. vivax, then it is different and as regards the age and weight and the general medical condition of the patient; hence proper medicines are selected for the treatment.

Prevention is the best way through which malaria can be controlled. IPT enhances the maintenance of the target group- pregnant women and children. Nursing care involves monitoring the provision of drugs as well as advice on methods of controlling malaria.

 Conclusion

It, in its way, is a multi-disciplinary regimen, and supportive care measures to manage malaria. Observation of the established treatment guidelines and the use of effective drugs would go a long way in decreasing morbidity and mortality attributed to the disease. Public awareness and preventive strategies are some of the cornerstones involved in combating malaria.