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Until now, malaria is still one of the most worrying infectious diseases in Indonesia. Not only adults, children can also get this infection. That is why it is important that you know the symptoms of malaria in both adults and children.
According to CNN Indonesia, the 2017 Ministry of Health report states that of the total 262 million Indonesians, as many as 4.9 million or two percent live in areas very prone to the spread of malaria, such as Papua, West Papua, East Nusa Tenggara (NTT), and parts of Kalimantan. During 2017, there were 261,617 malaria cases that killed at least 100 people in Indonesia.
Although the incidence of malaria is not as large as dengue hemorrhagic fever (DHF), the risks cannot be underestimated. Malaria can be life threatening, especially in children. Therefore, every parent should be aware of the symptoms of malaria as early as possible.
How is malaria transmitted?
Before knowing further how the symptoms of malaria appear in children, it is important to know how the disease is transmitted.
Malaria is an infection caused by the Plasmodium parasite. This parasite is transmitted through the bite of an infected female Anopheles mosquito. When you are bitten by a female Anopheles mosquito, the parasites will enter the bloodstream and multiply in the liver (liver).
If the mosquito sucks the blood of an infected person, this parasite will automatically enter the mosquito. When the mosquito bites a healthy human, the human will catch the parasite.
However, malaria can also be transmitted through blood transfusions and from mother to fetus or what is known as congenital malaria. This infection is very common in tropical climates.
Various symptoms of malaria in children
Symptoms of malaria in children usually appear depending on the type of parasite that is transmitted. You need to be vigilant if your baby shows various symptoms such as:
- Your appetite has decreased dramatically.
- Headache.
- Nausea.
- Easy to fuss.
- Aches and pains all over the body, especially the back and stomach.
- Enlarged spleen.
- Seizures or loss of consciousness when malaria has infected the brain.
- The child has difficulty sleeping.
- Fever, can be continuous or appear and disappear alternately.
- Fever can continue to increase in 1 to 2 days and can reach 40.6 degrees Celsius.
- Body shivering but sweating.
- Breathing rate faster than usual.
In some cases even children can experience hypothermia, not fever. This means that the child has a body temperature that is much lower than usual. Generally, this symptom appears in children under five years of age who are infected with malaria.
Malaria is a serious disease and can prove fatal, especially for infants and toddlers. Therefore, immediately consult a doctor when you see various symptoms of malaria in children. Especially if you are in an area that is endemic to malaria.
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