Table of contents:
- How do people get malaria?
- Then how is malaria treatment done?
- 1. Medical drugs
- 2. Hospital care
- 3. Natural Medicines
Malaria is a disease transmitted from mosquito bites. Not all mosquitoes can cause malaria, only mosquitoes Anopheles a female who has been infected with a parasite named Plasmodium which can infect humans. This disease is often found in tropical countries such as Indonesia. If not treated properly, this disease can be life threatening. Therefore, malaria treatment must be carried out as early as possible and appropriately.
How do people get malaria?
People who experience malaria initially get mosquito bites Anopheles female carrying parasites Plasmodium from the blood of a previous person who had been bitten by the same mosquito first. There are various types Plasmodium which can cause malaria, that is Plasmodium vivax, falciparum, malariae, and ovale.
After humans have been bitten by mosquitoes Anopheles These, the parasites will enter the human body and then enter the human liver to grow and develop.
These parasites that have grown and developed in the human body then travel in the human bloodstream. The parasites also attack and destroy your red blood cells. That's why there are so many Plasmodium on the red blood cells of malaria patients.
Then how is malaria treatment done?
Each country has its own standard of malaria treatment. However, they all have the same goal, which is to kill all parasites Plasmodium that is in the human body. In addition to curing, malaria treatment is very important to break the next chain of transmission.
The treatment for malaria varies from person to person, depending on the type of parasite that causes it, how severe the symptoms of malaria are, and the patient's age. There are 3 types of treatment to treat malaria, namely by taking medical drugs, handling them in a hospital, and utilizing natural ingredients as medicine.
Here's a more complete explanation:
1. Medical drugs
Age will determine the dose of medication needed. When first diagnosed positive for malaria, the health worker will provide a drug that must be drunk until it runs out to prevent it Plasmodium become immune to drugs.
Reporting from the Handbook of Malaria Management of the Ministry of Health, if a malaria patient is outpatient at home, 3 days after being given anti-malarial drugs the patient must check up to monitor for positive changes or if there are no changes at all. The doctor will review how effective the medicine has been taken.
Furthermore, on the 7th day, 14th day, 21st day, and 28th day the doctor must also re-examine any changes that have occurred so that you are completely declared cured.
The following are malaria drugs that are often prescribed by doctors:
- The malaria drug falciparum
In Indonesia, the first line of treatment for falciparum malaria is to use a combination of artesunate, amodiakuine, and primaquine drugs. This first-line treatment will then be seen as effective or not for 3 days after taking the first drug. The second-line treatment of falciparum malaria is done with a combination of quinine, doxycycline or tetracycline, and primaquine. These drugs are given orally for the next 7 days. - Viral and ovale malaria drugs
The first line of treatment for this type of malaria is a combination of the drug chloroquine and primaquine. As with falciparum malaria, if after 3 days of taking the first-line drug it is ineffective then this second treatment will be continued. Second-line treatment is followed by an increase in the dosage of primaquine.
- Malaria malariae drugs
Treatment of this type of malaria is simply given with chloroquine once a day for the next 3 days and followed by a re-examination after 3 days. Chloroquine can kill Plasmodium malariae is both asexual and sexual in the body.
All medicines given should not be taken on an empty stomach because they can cause stomach irritation. Therefore, malaria sufferers must eat first before taking medication.
2. Hospital care
Inpatient treatment in the hospital should be performed in patients with severe malaria. With medical treatment at the hospital, patients can get artesunate drugs by injection and infusion.
Patients who are hospitalized at the hospital will be examined every few days to determine the efficacy of the drugs given. This examination is usually performed on the 7th, 14th, 21st, and 28th day.
Depending on the severity and which organs are affected by the infection, the patient may require intensive treatment in the ICU. Usually this condition is applied to patients with severe complications, such as cerebral malaria, kidney failure, severe anemia, or respiratory problems.
3. Natural Medicines
Apart from medical drugs and hospitalization, malaria treatment can also be done by utilizing natural ingredients, aka herbal medicines.
However, it is important to remember that natural medicines cannot be used as the main treatment. Malaria is a disease that still requires treatment from medical personnel. Therefore, natural medicines only act as companion treatments.
There are many plants and herbal medicines that have been clinically tested as natural malaria remedies. One of them is cinnamon, which has been researched in Journal of Tropical Medicine. According to the study, there are antiparasitic substances in cinnamon that can fight parasitic infections Plasmodium.
If you have questions or concerns about certain malaria treatments, ask your doctor right away.
