As far as malaria is concerned, it is an infectious ailment caused due to Plasmodium parasites. The disease results because of infected female Anopheles mosquitoes biting humans. These mosquitoes spread the parasite from one person to the other.
According to an article published on https://www.huffpost.com, malaria is one of the deadly diseases of this age and remains a major public health concern. Studies show that there are 34 million malaria cases each year with 46,000 fatalities. That is why you should take the right precautions and have a blood test done using sterilized lab glassware such as blood collection tubes. Read on to learn more about the sign, symptoms, and test related to the ailment.
Know the signs and symptoms
When it comes to the signs and symptoms of the disease, they are generic and even non-specific. Your doctor will take a medical history and inquire whether you have been in a malaria-prone region or not recently.
The common signs and symptoms are high fever, sweats, chills, aches, malaise, and headaches. A few patients develop gastrointestinal problems like vomiting, nausea, and diarrhea. People infected with malaria may also be affected by jaundice and anemia. Most of these symptoms may manifest seven days after a patient is infected or after several months. However, the typical time to feel the symptoms is 14 days.
The signs and symptoms are cyclic and aggravate, then increase every two or three days when more blood vessels burst and infect. An infected patient may develop an enlarged spleen or liver. There are other indications that are detected through a physical examination or test. Therefore, one should get a blood test done with sterilized laboratory glassware such as glass blood-collection tubes for health and safety.
Severe malaria is deadly
When a patient is infected with P. falciparum, it is a life-threatening condition, affecting a person’s kidneys, lungs, and brain. The symptoms are mental confusion, seizures, coma, and severe respiratory pain. The condition may also lead to multi-organ breakdown in humans and death. When the condition affects the human brain, it is termed cerebral malaria that is dangerous and deadly.
Physical tests
The tests are done to diagnose the ailment, keep an eye on relapse, and figure out drug vulnerability of the malaria parasite infecting people.
Blood smears
The lab experts perform a blood smear test to detect whether you have malaria or not. A blood drop is applied and the same is spread onto a glass slide. Next, the lab professionals treat the special stain and examine it under a microscope. The process is essential to perform morphology of infected blood cells as well as the parasite. Usually, two thin and two thick smears are prepared. It is one of the best ways to detect the disease. However, the entire process calls for a thorough examination by trained laboratory professionals.
The thick smear test is more sensitive to detect malaria in a patient. More blood volume is scrutinized under the microscope so that the parasites could be seen easily.
Conclusion
Now that you know about the signs, symptoms, and tests related to malaria, take precautions ahead so that you do not contract the disease in the first place. After all, prevention is better than cure.