Malaria is among other diseases that are still a big problem to overcome in the world, as evidenced by the increase in the number of people affected by it, especially young children who are the ones who bear the brunt of it because they are more susceptible to it than adults.
That’s what made the private health center Affinity express their anger about this – which they coincided with the fact that Saturday April 25 was World Malaria Day, which is a day to raise awareness about the dangers of this disease around the world.
This disease, like malaria, is contagious and is treated by being bitten by an anopheles female mosquito, which, when the blood and its remains enter the body, affects the liver, then enters the blood – destroying its particles.
According to a study by the World Health Organization, the report issued by the World Malaria Report in 2024 said that there were approximately 282 million reported cases of people who were tested and found to have this disease, it killed about 610,000, most of them from the continent of Africa.
The Chief Executive Officer of Affinity Health, Mr. Murray Hewlett, complained that what worries them the most about this situation is that this disease strikes very sensitively in children five years old and below, he urged that parents be quick to be aware and help if a child is diagnosed with this disease to get help to save his life immediately.
Why are young children so vulnerable?
This disease strikes repeatedly in children, sometimes striking a child in just 24 to 48 hours. Its symptoms when we are just beginning are easy to compare to those of a common cold, while we convince ourselves of the blood which makes it seem that time has passed, and the damage has been done.
Here are the signs to look out for in a child:
- The child’s body temperature is too high.
- Feeling cold even when it’s not that cold.
- Abnormal excessive sweating.
- Headache that doesn’t stop.
- Body aches and cramps.
- Fatigue and restless sleep.
- Nausea or vomiting.
- Diarrhea.
- Not wanting to eat.
Here are the symptoms that indicate that you are suffering from severe malaria:
- Inability to breathe.
- Convulsions.
- Confusion and not immediately accepting what you tell him.
- Loss of energy and enthusiasm.
- Incessant vomiting.
- Changes in skin color.
- Urine that is thick and of an unusual color.
This disease is curable if it is detected early, but here are some things that can help prevent it in the child:
- Laying him on a bed that will be covered with a net that prevents the entry of mosquitoes.
- Using mosquito repellent products.
- That the child sleeps in pants and long-sleeved shirts.
- Avoiding open water because it attracts mosquitoes.