Culture And Diease

Culture And Diease

Malaria is a disease of the blood, transmitted by mosquitoes that have the malaria parasite (DHPE, 2010). This parasite attacks a person’s red blood and causes symptoms such as fever, chills, anemia, and jaundice (DHPE, 2010). When the parasite attacks the red blood cells patients experience a fever (DHPE, 2010). Then as the red blood cells burst and patients are cold, which causes the person to shake, vomit, and diarrhea (DHPE, 2010). The bursting of the red blood cells can also cause the anemia and jaundice in a person (DHPE, 2010). Shah (2010), "[Malaria causes more than 1million deaths every year, more than 3,000 children die in Africa every day 1 every 30 seconds, from malaria]” (para. 5). People are at risk for malaria depending on what part of the country a person travels to, the type of travel, time of travel, local weather as well as the number of mosquitoes in the particular area of travel (DHPE, 2010). Malaria is identified through different types of blood tests.   The first type of blood test is known as a microscopic blood test (Kakkilaya, 2009). This may be a peripheral smear study or a QBC test (Kakkilaya, 2009). Another type of tests is non-microscopic tests, called RDT’s, rapid diagnostic tests (Kakkilaya, 2009).   Malaria can cause liver and kidney failure, coma, or even death (DHPE, 2010). Malaria symptoms can reappear many months or even years later because of inactive parasites (DHPE, 2010).
According to DHPE (2010), "[Malaria is caused by any one of four species of one-celled parasites, called Plasmodium.” Four species of malaria parasites exist however only Plasmodium falciparum can infect humans, cause malaria, and be life threatening]” (para. 3). The female mosquito known as the Anopheles spreads the parasite by feeding on human blood (DHPE, 2010). After a person is bit by the female mosquito the form of parasite is introduced into the person’s blood (DHPE, 2010). The parasite then goes through the bloodstream to the person’s...