Malaria in kids is a disease caused by Anopheles mosquito bite. Malaria can cause high grade fever with chills. It is not necessary for fever to come on alternate days. Blood tests many times are not helpful. MP slide is the gold standard for diagnosis of malaria.  Cerebral malaria is one of worst form of malaria and can cause coma with fits. Plasmodium falciparum can cause bleeding in urine and haemorrhagic fever. Malaria is preventable and curable. Preventive measures include using insect repellents, covering arms and legs and using a mosquito net. Always consult your doctor when your child has high grade fever & chills with no identifiable cause especially in rainy season.

Malaria in Kids Symptoms:

Signs and symptoms of malaria appear within a week after being bitten by mosquito which is infected with virus. There are types of malaria parasites that can lie in your body for more than an year. Symptoms of malaria are as follows:

·         Chills

·         Headache

·         High fever

·         Nausea and vomiting

·         Muscle pain and fatigue

·         Cough

·         Sweating

·         Abdominal pain

Some patients of malaria also go through “malaria attacks”. These attacks start with chills and shivering. Then these chills turned to high fever followed by sweating. After that, your body starts coming to normal temperature and the cycle goes on.

Malaria in kids Causes:

A microscopic parasite is the main cause of Malaria. This parasite is transferred in the human body through mosquito bites. This process is performed in a cycle that is:

·         An uninfected mosquito got infected when he bites a malaria patient.

·         If this mosquito will bite you then you’ll also get infected of the virus.

·         After entering your body these parasites move to your liver where some of them lie there without any movement for more than a year.

·         These parasites will leave your liver once they are mature. After leaving your liver they will infect red blood cells and symptom of malaria start appearing.

·         At this time, if an uninfected mosquito will bite you he will become a carrier and spread this disease to other persons by biting them. This is how the cycle keeps going.

As the parasites affect your red blood cells so there are also other modes to transmit the virus other than mosquito bite such as:

·         Blood transfusion

·         From mother to unborn baby

·         By sharing used drug injected needle

Complications:

Malaria is caused by different types of parasites that is why it can be fatal. This variety of parasites is more common in tropical areas of Africa. One or more complications in this disease can be life-threatening. These complications include:

·         Breathing problem

·         Anaemia

·         Organ failure

·         Cerebral malaria

·         Low blood sugar

Risk factors:

Living in or visiting areas where malaria is more common is the main risk factor for developing malaria. As we know, there are variety of parasites that causes malaria so places where these parasites are common are at high risk in the development of this disease. These places include:

·         The Asian subcontinent

·         African countries south of the Sahara desert

·         New Guinea the Dominican republic and Haiti

People are also at high risk if they are:

·         Older age

·         Young children or infants

·         Pregnant women and their unborn child

·         Traveler coming from areas with no malaria

Malaria in Kids Treatment:

No malaria vaccine is approved for human use yet. Bur scientists and researchers are trying to develop an effective and safe vaccine for humans.

Prevention:

Avoid mosquito bites if you are travelling to areas where malaria parasites are common. To keep yourself protected you should follow these instructions:

·         Wear full sleeves shirt and full pants to cover your body.

·         Always use insect repellent while going outside. Repellent sprays with Deet can be used on skin while ones with permethrin should be apply on clothes.

·         Always use bed nets while sleeping.

·         Avoid going out in hours of dawn and dusk as at these hours mosquitoes are more active.

·         Talk to your doctor before visiting areas that have malaria parasites more commonly. Your child specialist will suggest if you need to take drugs before, during or after the visit.